Inger Torhild Gram
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
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Research interests
- Epidemiology and prevention of noncommunicable diseases. Lifestyle and social inequalities in non-communicable diseases
- Establish breast cancer as a smoking related cancer.
- Sex differences in smoking associated cancers.
- Smoking Cessation and Short- and Longer-Term Mortality
- Smoking cessation, methods, predictors, and benefits.
- Smartphones as a tool in Preventive Medicine and in Public Health
- Mammographic density as a surrogate measure for breast cancer and breast cancer prevention
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
- 2007 Yngve Bremnes MD, PhD: Hormones, smoking and mammographic density in postmenopausal Norwegian women : the Tromsø Mammography and Breast Cancer Study
- 2014 Ranjan Parajuli, MD, PhD: Smoking and incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer
- 2014 Eivind Bjerkaas, MD, PhD: Aspects of Active Smoking and Breast Cancer
- 2015 Idlir Licaj, PostDoctor, PhD
- 2020 Merethe Selnes Hansen, MD, PhD: Aspects of Lung Cancer by Sex
Member of research group
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.
Attachments:
- Development of an ICT solution to obtain annual, national, representative health indicator data for non-communicable diseases a – pilot study (pdf)
- Comparing the Efficacy of an Identical, Tailored SmokingCessation Intervention Delivered by Mobile Text Messaging VersusEmail Randomized Controlled Trial (pdf)
- Smoking and breast cancer risk by raceethnicity and oestrogen and progesterone receptor status the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study (pdf)
- The fraction of breast cancer attributable to smoking_ The Norwegian women and cancer study 1991–2012 - bjc2016154 (pdf)
- Smoking and Risk of Breast Cancer in a RaciallyEthnically Diverse Population of Mainly Women Who Do Not Drink Alcohol The MEC Study (pdf)
- Smoking duration before first childbirth an emerging risk factor for breast cancer Results from 302,865 Norwegian women. (pdf)
- Active and passive cigarette smoking and breast cancer risk results from the EPIC cohort (pdf)
- Pooled analysis of active cigarette smoking and invasive breast cancer risk in 14 cohort studies. (pdf)