Name: Abe Sahmoun, Ph.D.

Rank Classification: Assistant Professor/Research Epidemiologist

Department: Internal Medicine

Dr. Sahmoun's primary research interests related to cancer are prevention, and outcomes research. He is the Principal Investigator of a proposal on Cadmium and Prostate Cancer. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed (non-skin) cancer among U.S. men. Other than increasing age and black race, epidemiologic studies have identified few modifiable risk factors. This research tests the hypothesis that lifetime exposure to cadmium , as measured by biomarkers of cadmium in urine, in prostatic tissue, and in male ejaculates, predicts risk for prostate cancer. He is also the Principal Investigator on study entitled: Use of Cancer Screening in a Depressed Population. Clinical preventive services in primary care settings can be effective in reducing morbidity or mortality when delivered on a recommended basis . Some studies showed that a history of depression increases the risk for late-stage diagnosis, even after controlling for covariates such as socio-demographic characteristics, health status measures, health services availability, and self-related health. The goals of this study are to: 1) Assess whether primary care physicians (PCPs) consistently offer cancer screening services at appropriate intervals, and 2) to examine if (PCPs) performances vary with different types of preventive procedures.