Wyatt to Chair Texas Cancer Prevention Panel

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2009) –  Dr. Stephen W. Wyatt, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, has been selected to chair the prevention review council of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). In this role, Wyatt will oversee the selection of the agency's prevention grants. 

"I am impressed with the commitment the state of Texas has made to cancer prevention and control research, and I am honored to have been asked to be part of the team that moves this initiative forward," Wyatt said.

Texas voters in 2007 approved a constitutional amendment allowing the state to establish CPRIT and to issue $3 billion in general obligation bonds over ten years to fund grants for cancer research and prevention. Applications will be assessed using an external-to-Texas peer review process. CPRIT's prevention program announced its first round of requests for applications in September.

Wyatt has an impressive public health career with extensive credentials in the field of cancer prevention and control. 

"I am delighted to have someone with Dr. Wyatt's experience join the CPRIT team," said Rebecca Garcia, who will direct the prevention grant program as CPRIT's chief prevention officer. "He has experience and knowledge of public health and cancer control at the local, regional and national levels and is an established researcher with several large NCI-funded grants. Steve and I have had the opportunity to work together in the past, and he will be a very engaged chair and a great resource for me and for CPRIT."

Prior to his appointment as dean of UK's College of Public Health, Wyatt was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. During his 20 years of service, he held assignments with the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, Wyatt served as director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and as acting deputy director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 

Wyatt's contributions have included the development of many programs, including the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the National Program of Cancer Registries. In 1995, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation recognized Wyatt with its Betty Ford Award, and in 2002, the American Cancer Society honored him with its Distinguished Service Award.

Wyatt holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also holds a doctorate of dental medicine degree from UK.

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. Wyatt joining our team," said William Gimson, executive director of CPRIT. "Steve knows the value of prevention and how it can be applied to achieve results."