Inger Torhild Gram


Professor Preventive Medicine - research, teaching and dissemination

Job description

Inger Torhild Gram is a medical doctor, professor of Preventive Medicine and a member of the Systems Epidemiology research group. She primarily does research on the relationship between smoking and cancer, premature death, and the benefits of quitting smoking. Gram works with this in five population studies, (the Tromsø Study, Norwegian Women and Cancer study (NOWAC), Smoking and Cancer, UiT the European EPIC study, the American Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MEC) study, and in several global collaborative projects. Gram also works with changing lifestyles and preventing deaths from non-communicable diseases. She has disseminated research results world-wide to the scientific community through talks at international conferences and press conferences, scientific publications, and to the health authorites, politicians and general public in TV, radio and other media. Gram has worked with tobacco prevention and smoke free policies since the 1990's , locally at UiT, UNN, Tromsø Municipality and as a member of the National Council for Tobacco Prevention.  Gram has spent four years on the scientific council of IARC [the cancer research agency of the World Health Organization (WHO)]. She teaches in the first five years of the professional study in medicine. Gram has a 20% position as a professor at the National Centre for E-Health Research, University Hospital of North Norway (UNN), WHO Collaborating Centre for Telemedicine


  • Joanna L. Clasen, Rita Mabunda, Alicia K. Heath, Rudolf Kaaks, Verena Katzke, Matthias B. Schulze et al.:
    Reproductive and hormonal factors and risk of renal cell carcinoma among women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
    Cancer Medicine 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Ziling Mao, Jacqueline Roshelli Baker, Masayoshi Takeuchi, Hideyuki Hyogo, Anne Tjønneland, Anne Kirstine Eriksen et al.:
    Prediagnostic serum glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products and mortality among colorectal cancer patients
    International Journal of Cancer 2023 DOI
  • Clara García-Vicente, David Chushig-Muzo, Inmaculada Mora-Jiménez, Himar Fabelo, Inger Torhild Gram, Maja-Lisa Løchen et al.:
    Evaluation of Synthetic Categorical Data Generation Techniques for Predicting Cardiovascular Diseases and Post-Hoc Interpretability of the Risk Factors
    Applied Sciences 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Clara García-Vicente, David Chushig-Muzo, Inmaculada Mora-Jimenez, Himar Fabelo, Inger Torhild Gram, Maja-Lisa Løchen et al.:
    Clinical Synthetic Data Generation to Predict and Identify Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases
    Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Alejandro Deniz-Garcia, Himar Fabelo, Antonio J. Rodriguez-Almeida, Garlene Zamora-Zamorano, Maria Castro-Fernandez, Maria del Pino Alberiche Ruano et al.:
    Quality, Usability, and Effectiveness of mHealth Apps and the Role of Artificial Intelligence: Current Scenario and Challenges
    Journal of Medical Internet Research 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Anna Morra, Nasim Mavaddat, Taru A. Muranen, Thomas U. Ahearn, Jamie Allen, Irene L. Andrulis et al.:
    The impact of coding germline variants on contralateral breast cancer risk and survival
    American Journal of Human Genetics 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Anna Morra, Maartje A. C. Schreurs, Irene L. Andrulis, Hoda Anton-Culver, Annelie Augustinsson, Matthias W. Beckmann et al.:
    Association of the CHEK2 c.1100delC variant, radiotherapy, and systemic treatment with contralateral breast cancer risk and breast cancer-specific survival
    Cancer Medicine 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Gisella Figlioli, Amandine Billaud, Thomas U. Ahearn, Natalia N. Antonenkova, Heiko Becher, Matthias W. Beckmann et al.:
    FANCM missense variants and breast cancer risk: a case-control association study of 75,156 European women
    European Journal of Human Genetics 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Reynalda Córdova, Ana-Lucia Mayén, Viktoria Knaze, Elom Kouassivi Aglago, Casper Schalkwijk, Karl-Heinz Wagner et al.:
    Dietary intake of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and cancer risk across more than 20 anatomical sites: A multinational cohort study
    Cancer Communications 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Niki Dimou, Wemimo Omiyale, Carine Biessy, Vivian Viallon, Rudolf Kaaks, Tracy A. O'Mara et al.:
    Cigarette Smoking and Endometrial Cancer Risk: Observational and Mendelian Randomization Analyses
    Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Karl Smith-Byrne, Agustin Cerani, Florence Guida, Sirui Zhou, Antonio Agudo, Krasimira Aleksandrova et al.:
    Circulating Isovalerylcarnitine and Lung Cancer Risk: Evidence from Mendelian Randomization and Prediagnostic Blood Measurements
    Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Konstantinos Antypas, Silje C Wangberg, Maja-Lisa Løchen, Dillys Larbi :
    Factors associated with predictors of smoking cessation from a Norwegian internet-based smoking cessation intervention study
    Tobacco Prevention & Cessation 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Ana-Lucia Mayén, Vivian Viallon, Edoardo Botteri, Cecile Proust-Lima, Vincenzo Bagnardi, Veronica Batista et al.:
    A longitudinal evaluation of alcohol intake throughout adulthood and colorectal cancer risk
    European Journal of Epidemiology (EJE) 2022 DOI
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Guri Skeie, Sunday Oluwafemi Oyeyemi, Kristin Benjaminsen Borch, Laila Arnesdatter Hopstock, Maja-Lisa Løchen :
    A Smartphone-Based Information Communication Technology Solution for Primary Modifiable Risk Factors for Noncommunicable Diseases: Pilot and Feasibility Study in Norway
    JMIR Formative Research 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Manon Cairat, Sabina Rinaldi, Anne-Sophie Navionis, Isabelle Romieu, Carine Biessy, Vivian Viallon et al.:
    Circulating inflammatory biomarkers, adipokines and breast cancer risk—a case-control study nested within the EPIC cohort
    BMC Medicine 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Trasias Mukama, Renée Turzanski Fortner, Verena Katzke, Lucas Cory Hynes, Agnese Petrera, Stefanie M. Hauck et al.:
    Prospective evaluation of 92 serum protein biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer
    British Journal of Cancer 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Song-Yi Park, Lynne R. Wilkens, Loïc Le Marchand, Veronica Wendy Setiawan :
    Smoking and pancreatic cancer: a sex-specific analysis in the Multiethnic Cohort study
    Cancer Causes and Control 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Joe Dennis, Jonathan P. Tyrer, Logan C. Walker, Kyriaki Michailidou, Leila Dorling, Vessela N. Kristensen et al.:
    Rare germline copy number variants (CNVs) and breast cancer risk
    Communications Biology 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Leila Dorling, Sara Carvalho, Jamie Allen, Michael T. Parsons, Cristina Fortuno, Vessela N. Kristensen et al.:
    Breast cancer risks associated with missense variants in breast cancer susceptibility genes
    Genome Medicine 2022 ARKIV / DOI
  • Nagisa Mori, Pekka Keski-Rahkonen, Audrey Gicquiau, Sabina Rinaldi, Niki Dimou, Sophia Harlid et al.:
    Endogenous Circulating Sex Hormone Concentrations and Colon Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women: A Prospective Study and Meta-Analysis
    JNCI Cancer Spectrum 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Elom Kouassivi Aglago, Neil Murphy, Inge Huybrechts, Geneviève Nicolas, Corinne Casagrande, Veronika Fedirko et al.:
    Dietary intake and plasma phospholipid concentrations of saturated, monounsaturated and trans fatty acids and colorectal cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort
    International Journal of Cancer 2021 DOI
  • Julia Butt, Mazda Jenab, Jill Werner, Veronika Fedirko, Elisabete Weiderpass, Christina C. Dahm et al.:
    Association of Pre-diagnostic Antibody Responses to Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis Toxin Proteins with Colorectal Cancer in a European Cohort
    Gut microbes 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Jacqueline Roshelli Baker, Sushma Umesh, Mazda Jenab, Lutz Schomburg, Anne Tjønneland, Anja Olsen et al.:
    Prediagnostic Blood Selenium Status and Mortality among Patients with Colorectal Cancer in Western European Populations
    Biomedicines 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Ziling Mao, Elom K. Aglago, Zhiwei Zhao, Casper C Schalkwijk, Li Jiao, Heinz Freisling et al.:
    Dietary Intake of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and Mortality among Individuals with Colorectal Cancer
    Nutrients 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Carlota Castro-Espin, Antonio Agudo, Catalina Bonet, Verena Katzke, Renée Turzanski-Fortner, Aleksandrova Krasimira et al.:
    Inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of breast cancer in the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study
    European Journal of Epidemiology (EJE) 2021 DOI
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Arne Bastian Wiik, Eiliv Lund, Idlir Licaj, Tonje Bjørndal Braaten :
    Never-smokers and the fraction of breast cancer attributable to second-hand smoke from parents during childhood: the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study 1991–2018
    International Journal of Epidemiology 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Niki Dimou, James Yarmolinsky, Emmanouil Bouras, Konstantinos K Tsilidis, Richard M Martin, Sarah J. Lewis et al.:
    Causal Effects of Lifetime Smoking on Breast and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Mendelian Randomization Study.
    Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2021 DOI
  • Rosie K. Singleton, Alicia K. Heath, Joanna L. Clasen, Ghislaine Scelo, Mattias Johansson, Florence Le Calvez-Kelm et al.:
    Risk prediction for renal cell Carcinoma: Results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) prospective cohort study
    Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2021 DOI
  • Merete Ellingjord-Dale, Sofia Christakoudi, Elisabete Weiderpass, Salvatore Panico, Laure Dossus, Anja Olsen et al.:
    Long-term weight change and risk of breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study
    International Journal of Epidemiology 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Elom K. Aglago, Casper G. Schalkwijk, Heinz Freisling, Veronika Fedirko, David J. Hughes, Li Jiao et al.:
    Plasma concentrations of advanced glycation end-products and colorectal cancer risk in the EPIC study
    Carcinogenesis 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Jakob Linseisen, Nina Grundmann, Dorothee Zoller, Tilman Kühn, Eugéne H.J.M. Jansen, Veronique Chajes et al.:
    Red blood cell fatty acids and risk of colorectal cancer in the European Prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC)
    Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2021 DOI
  • Espen Aas, Inger Torhild Gram, Even A. Røed :
    Dagsnytt atten.Strid om e-sigaretter.
    12. January 2024 DATA
  • Steinar Solberg, Inger Torhild Gram, Maja-Lisa Løchen :
    E-sigaretter er en trussel mot folks helse
    Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.) 08. January 2024
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Randi Laukli :
    Snuser du? Da er sjansen stor for å mislykkes med å stumpe røyken for godt
    01. January 2023 FULLTEKST
  • Inger Torhild Gram :
    Snus og røykeslutt
    2023
  • Inger Torhild Gram :
    Rökare bör varnas för snus som rökavvänjning
    2023 DATA
  • Inger Torhild Gram :
    Kan røyking øke risikoen for å få brystkreft?
    2023 DATA
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Sondre Opedal :
    Metoden som hjelper deg å kutte røyken
    08. February 2023
  • Kristine Thrane, Inger Torhild Gram :
    Ekspertene krangler om snus gjør det lettere å stumpe røyken
    04. January 2023 FULLTEKST
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Sondre Opedal :
    Hyller røykeslutt-teknikk: Metoden som fungerer.
    02. February 2023 DATA
  • Inger Torhild Gram :
    Disease prevention versus disease management - different concepts/methods – same goal.
    2023
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Song-Yi Park, Lynne R Wilkens, Loïc Le Marchand, Veronica W. Setiawan :
    Smoking and Pancreatic Cancer in the Multiethnic Cohort study
    Norsk Epidemiologi, Supplement 26. October 2022
  • Clara García-Vicente, David Chushig-Muzo, Mora-Jiménez Inmaculada, Inger Torhild Gram, Maja-Lisa Løchen, Himar Fabelo et al.:
    Clinical synthetic data generation to predict and identify risk factors for cardiovascular diseases
    2022
  • Inger Torhild Gram :
    Hazards of smoking and benefits of smoking cessation by sex and pancreatic cancer; the Multiethnic Cohort
    2022
  • Inger Torhild Gram :
    Smoking and Pancreatic Cancer in the Multiethnic Cohort study
    2022
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Maja-Lisa Løchen :
    Smarttelefoner kan enkelt bidra til å redusere dødeligheten blant voksne i Norge og de fleste andre land.
    UiT Forskerhjørnet 20. April 2022 DATA
  • Ida Rønning, Inger Torhild Gram :
    Ny forskningsrapport slår kreftalarm etter alkoholfunn.
    15. July 2021 DATA
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Eiliv Lund, Tonje Bjørndal Braaten :
    Burden of mortality attributable to exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) among never smokers The Norwegian Women and Cancer study 1991-2018.
    2021
  • Inger Torhild Gram, Arne Bastian Wiik, Eiliv Lund, Idlir Licaj, Tonje Bjørndal Braaten :
    Never smokers and exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) from parents during childhood and risk of Breast Cancer. The Norwegian Women and Cancer study 1991-2018
    2021
  • Ida Rønning, Inger Torhild Gram :
    Slår kreftalarm etter alkoholfunn
    15. July 2021

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    Research interests

    Research Projects 

    Principal investigator and founder  

    • 1997-2021 The Tromsø Mammography and Breast Cancer (TMBC) study. TMBC study  
    • 2003-2022 Smoking and Cancer Cohort study. Smoking and socio-economy explaining inequalities in cancer incidence and in mortality. Smoking and Cancer
    • 2006-2022 Text messaging as support to an internet-based smoking cessation intervention. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT011030427
    • 2016-2022 Developing an Information and Communications Technology solution to obtain annual, national, representative health indicators. 269882/H10

    Investigator/collaborator/member

    • 1992    The Norwegian Women and Cancer (NOWAC) study. Lead researcher for studies on smoking. 
    • 2002    The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition EPIC                                                  Member lung-, breast-, colorectal-, endometrial-, ovarian and pancreatic cancer WG.
    • 2003-2012 The Ethnic and geographic differences in mammographic density and their association                    with Breast cancer incidence (TMBC data ). 
    • 2003-2012 The International Collaboration of Epidemiological Studies of Cervical Cancer                                    (The Tromsø Study data )
    • 2012 -  The National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium, with data on smoking and breast cancer                     Smoking and breast cancer /   (NOWAC data)
    • 2012 -     The Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study. Lead researcher for studies on smoking( MEC data).
    • 2014  -    The Richard Doll Epidemiological Studies Consortium  R. Doll consortium (NOWAC data)
    • 2015 -     National Institute of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, The                             Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium The OC3 study (EPIC data)
    • 2015-     The Premenopausal Breast Cancer Collaborative GroupNIH, National Cancer Institute,
    • 2020-2024 EU collaboration. “Watching the risk factors: Artificial intelligence and the personalized                       prevention and management of chronic conditions.  WARIFA

    Teaching

    • Currently teaches in five of the six years professional Program in Medicine.
    • Long experience teaching epidemiology, preventive medicine, public health, professional competence and knowledge management at the professional program in Medicine and teaching at the professional study in Dentistry and Pharmacy and at the Master's in Public Health(MPH).

    Main advisor



    CV

     SHORT CURRICULUM VITAE 

    Name: Inger Torhild Gram, M.D. Ph.D.
    Position titles: Professor, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
    Professor: University Hospital of North Norway
    Degrees: University of Tromsø, Norway, M.D. 1982,
    University of Tromsø, Norway, Ph.D., 1992, Epidemiology
    Dissertation title: “Aspects of breast and cervical cancer screening.” 1992.

    Current positions 
    1999: → Professor, Preventive Medicine, Department of Community Medicine (ISM), Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
    2016: → Professor, University Hospital of North Norway (UNN), National Centre for E-Health Research, Tromsø, Norway

    University positions held:
    1984-1989 Research Fellow, Department of Social Medicine, ISM, UiT, Norway
    1989-1991 Visiting Scholar, Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at
    Birmingham, School of Public Health; Birmingham, AL, USA (2,5 years)
    1991-1992 Adjunct Scientist, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL, USA (12 months)
    1992-1999 Associate Professor, Dep of Preventive Medicine/Epidemiology, ISM, UiT, Tromsø, Norway
    1997-1998 Visiting Scholar, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine,
    University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA (12 months)
    2003-2004 Visiting Scholar, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France (6 months)/
    2004 Visiting Scholar, University of Hawaii, Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA (6 months).
    2007- 2008 Visiting Scholar, University of Hawaii, Cancer Center (UHCC), Honolulu, HI, USA (12 months).
    2012 - 2013 Visiting Scholar, UHCC, Honolulu, HI, USA (12 months).
    2017 - 2019 Visiting Scholar, UHCC, Honolulu, HI, USA (12 months + 10 months sick-leave).
    2021 - 2022 Visiting Scholar, UHCC, Honolulu, HI, USA (6 months). 

    Hospital positions held: 
    1982-1983 Intern, Volda Hospital, Volda, Norway
    1994-2006 Industrial Officer (20%), University Hospital of North Norway (UNN), Tromsø, Norway.
    2006-2015 Senior Consultant, Norwegian Centre for Integrated Care and Telemedicine, UNN, WHO
    Collaborating Center for Telemedicine.

    Selected past memberships/ advisory committees:

    • 1985-1987 Member, Board, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT.
    • 1993-1997 Member, Board, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences UiT.
    • 1994-1998 Treasurer. Board of the Norwegian Epidemiological Association.
    • 1994-2005 Scientific associate. The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association
    • 1994-1996 Member. Scientific Committee. Official Norwegian Report. (NOU 1997: 20). Care and knowledge! The Norwegian cancer plan. Oslo, Norway.
    • 1997-2003 Member, National Advisory Board on Tobacco Control, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
    • 1998-2000 Member. Scientific Committee. Official Norwegian Report (NOU 2000: 16). The tobacco industry's liability for damages, Oslo, Norway.
    • 1999-2002 Member, Board, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences UiT.
    • 2000-2003 Mentor. Mentor project for female Associate Professors. UiT.
    • 2000-2004 Member. Scientific Council. The Norwegian Cancer Society, Oslo, Norway.
    • 2000-2005 Member. Scientific Evaluator group on Public Health. The Research Council of Norway. 
    • 2001-2006 Member. National Advisory Board on the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Oslo, Norway.
    • 2008-2012 External Peer Reviewer, Epidemiology and public health applications. South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, Oslo, Norway.
    • 2009- 2012 Juror, European Union Contest for Young Scientists, European Commission, Research Directorate-General, Brussels, Belgium.
    • 2012-2016 Member, Scientific Council, World Health Organization, International Agency for research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France.
    • 2015-2017 Member, National Advisory Board on Tobacco Control, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
    • 2014- Reviewer, International Panel of Reviewers UICC, World Cancer Congress.
    • 2020 External Reviewer, Health Research Council of New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand
    • 2024 External Reviewer, Health Research Council of New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand

     Selected honours/awards/invitations

    • 1991 Nominee, Outstanding Visiting Scholar, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA
    • 2003 Recipient, Sasakawa Foundation Scandinavian Scholarship Award, Stockholm, Sweden.
    • 2006 Nominee, Research Dissemination Prize, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
    • 2006 Recipient, International Research Promotion Council; World Scientists Forum International Awards in Cancer Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Eminent Scientist of the year 2006, Scandinavia, University of Tromsø, Norway.
    • 2016 Invitation to nominate one or more candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017, the Nobel Committee, Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
    • 2020 Invitation to nominate one or more candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021, the Nobel Committee, Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    PUBLICATIONS PUBMED, GOOGLE SCHOLAR h-INDEX & CITATIONS

    Total publications (205) First author (36) Last author (23) h-index (64) Citations (12 192)

     RUNNING GRANTS. 2021-2024 .  6 000 000 Euros. Horizon 2020. Project (# 101017385) call: H2020-SC1-DTH-2018-2020, (Digital transformation in Health and Care), Topic: SC1-DTH-02-2020. Proposal number: 101017385.Member in WP2, WP3, WP7.