On April 23, Professor Gary Clifford, an expert from the International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization (IARC/WHO) and Head of the Infections and Cancer Epidemiology Group, visited the School of Public Health at our university for an academic exchange and delivered a special lecture titled “Global Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention: Lessons from 25 years at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO).” Zhang Zhihong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Public Health, chaired the event.
Based on his 25 years of work experience and the latest global research data, and taking into account the realities of cancer prevention and control in China, Gary Clifford focused on infection-related cancers as a key preventable and controllable area. Using multiple global maps and authoritative data, he systematically interpreted global cancer trends and prevention strategies. He pointed out that the current global distribution of the cancer burden is highly uneven, with insufficient resources and low accessibility to prevention and control measures being the main bottlenecks. Vaccination, early screening, and standardized treatment remain the core approaches to global cancer prevention and control. Enhancing the comprehensive cancer prevention and control capacity at the regional level is a core task for future global public health.
During the interactive session of the lecture, faculty and students actively asked questions on topics such as the attributable risk of infection-related cancers and the adaptive adjustments of screening strategies in different regions. Gary Clifford answered each question carefully and in detail. In response to the concern raised by faculty and students about “how low- and middle-income countries can overcome the bottleneck of low HPV vaccination coverage,” he used comparative data from sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia as examples to illustrate the practical value of a single-dose vaccination schedule and a school-community linkage model in resource-limited settings. The entire interactive session not only explored cutting-edge global approaches but also focused on the pain points of grassroots cancer prevention and control in China. Faculty and students expressed that they greatly benefited from the session, which further inspired their research enthusiasm for translating international experiences into local actions.
In her concluding speech, Zhang Zhihong stated that Gary Clifford's lecture, based on a global perspective and closely aligned with China's actual conditions, systematically presented cutting-edge international epidemiological data on infection-related cancers and typical prevention and control cases, providing clear guidance for the university's related research and practice. She encouraged all faculty and students of the school to take this exchange as an opportunity to closely follow global frontiers in prevention and control, deepen epidemiological research and the translation of prevention and control technologies, apply international advanced experience to local public health practice, and contribute to improving the level of cancer prevention and control for the entire population and to the construction of a high-level school of public health.
（Text and photos by Wei Feixue）
