Peter Boyle (epidemiologist)
Encyclopedia
Prof. Peter Boyle, BSc PhD DSc(Med) DSc(hc) FRSE FFPH FRCPS(Glas) FRCP(Edin) FMedSci, (born 8, June 1951) is a British
epidemiologist
. He has done research on globalization of cancer
, where he has shown the dramatic increase of cancer in low- and medium income countries.
, Scotland
and studied statistics
at the University of Glasgow
(BSC in 1974) and received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Epidemiology in 1985 from the University of Glasgow, Faculty of Medicine).
He initially wanted to become a teacher but became fascinated in Science and worked from 1974-77 as a statistician at the University Department of Medicine, Glasgow and the following 7 years at the West of Scotland Cancer Surveillance Unit in Glasgow. In 1984 he moved to Boston
and worked at the Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
and the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
as Instructor and Assistant Professor. During this time Boyle has coauthored his first two Lancet
publications on cancer mortality in Scotland. In 1986, he returned to Europe and became Scientist and Group Head at the International Agency for Research on Cancer
, IARC, in Lyon
, France
.
In 1991 he again moved, this time to Milan
, Italy
to become the first chairperson of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Director of the Division of Cancer Control of the European Institute of Oncology
, EIO. During this time the European Code against Cancer was developed and updated to its current 3rd edition under the leadership of Peter Boyle (2003).
In 2003 he was elected the 4th Director of IARC and moved back to Lyon, a position he held from 2004–2008.. He stood as a candidate for a second term as Director but was not successful.
In 2009 Peter Boyle was the founding President of a new private funded research and consulting company, named International Prevention Research Institute
, based in Lyon, France.
Beside his main appointments he holds several (visiting and/or honorary) professorships from different Universities, incl. University of Birmingham
(1996-), University of Milan
(1996–2004), University of Pittsburgh
(1996–2002), University of Glasgow
(1998-), University of Innsbruck
(1998), University of Oxford
(2003-).
He was editor-in-chief (together with Carlo La Vecchia and Alec Walker) of the Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
from 1995–2003 and of the European Journal of Cancer
from 1990-1994. Peter Boyle was associate editor of Oncology and Haematology Literature Service from 1993–1998 and still is it for the journals Annals of Oncology
(since 1999) and the British Journal of Urology International
(since 2002). Furthermore he was or is a member of the editorial boards of the following Journals, Cancer Causes and Control (1990–1994), Swiss Journal of Social and Preventive Medicine (1990–present), British Journal of Cancer
(1990–1997), Prospectives (1990–99), BPH Observer (1990–99), The Breast (journal)
(1991–97), Oral Oncology
(1991–present), European R and D Database (1993–98), Lung Cancer
(1995–present), Journal of Radiation Therapy (1996–present), European Cancer News (1996–98), Journal of Gynecologic Oncology (1996–present), Annals of Oncology
(1996–present), URO (Portuguese Journal of Urology) (1996–present), Breast Cancer Online (1999–present), Lancet
(2003–present), Nature Reviews Urology (2004–present), Molecular Oncology
(2006–present).
Peter Boyle has published more than 500 articles in scientific journals and is co-/author of some 23 books, including textbooks and cancer atlases.
Peter Boyle is and was member of many national and international scientific committees, including Secretary, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, EORTC
, Brussels (1986–92), Chairman, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, European Society of Mastology (1989–1997), International Prostate Health Council (1989–2003), Scientific Advisory Board, European School of Oncology, Milan (1992–1999), Chairman, European Commission Expert Committee Cancer Plan (2000–2004), Chairman, Scientific Evaluation Committee, European Tobacco Fund, EC (1999–2002), CEO Advisory Committee, American Cancer Society
(2002–present), International Affairs Committee, American Association for Cancer Research
(2003–present), Multidisciplinary Oncology Committee, European Society for Medical Oncology
(ESMO) (2006–present), International Affairs Committee, American Society of Clinical Oncology
(2008–present).
He received many awards, medals and is member of many scientific societies, among which are Honorary Member of the Argentine Medical Association
(1996), Knight's Cross of Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2000), Fellow of Royal Society of Edinburgh
(2000), Award from the President of Israel for Lifetime Contribution to Cancer Research, on Occasion of 50th Anniversary of Israel Cancer Association, Jerusalem (2002), Honorary Member, Hungarian Cancer Society (2003), Honorary Member, European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) in 2003, Award of Honorary Doctor of Science by University of Aberdeen (2006) and Elected Fellow of Academy of Medical Sciences
(2006), Elected Fellow of Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
(2006), elected full member of ESMO (first non-medical oncologist elected to full membership) in 2006, Gold Award of the Health Promotion Foundation of Poland (2008).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
epidemiologist
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
. He has done research on globalization of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, where he has shown the dramatic increase of cancer in low- and medium income countries.
Biography
Boyle was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and studied statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
(BSC in 1974) and received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Epidemiology in 1985 from the University of Glasgow, Faculty of Medicine).
He initially wanted to become a teacher but became fascinated in Science and worked from 1974-77 as a statistician at the University Department of Medicine, Glasgow and the following 7 years at the West of Scotland Cancer Surveillance Unit in Glasgow. In 1984 he moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and worked at the Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
and the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is part of a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute. It is a major affiliate of Harvard Medical School and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts.-Overview:...
as Instructor and Assistant Professor. During this time Boyle has coauthored his first two Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
publications on cancer mortality in Scotland. In 1986, he returned to Europe and became Scientist and Group Head at the International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
, IARC, in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1991 he again moved, this time to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to become the first chairperson of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Director of the Division of Cancer Control of the European Institute of Oncology
European Institute of Oncology
The European Institute of Oncology is a non-profit comprehensive cancer centre located in Milan, Italy that is active in three areas:*Clinic*Research*Training...
, EIO. During this time the European Code against Cancer was developed and updated to its current 3rd edition under the leadership of Peter Boyle (2003).
In 2003 he was elected the 4th Director of IARC and moved back to Lyon, a position he held from 2004–2008.. He stood as a candidate for a second term as Director but was not successful.
In 2009 Peter Boyle was the founding President of a new private funded research and consulting company, named International Prevention Research Institute
International Prevention Research Institute
The International Prevention Research Institute - iPRI is an independent research organisation founded by a group of Scientists. iPRI’s Mission is to work towards the improvement of health in populations worldwide by identifying critical issues in disease determination and prevention.-Main Research...
, based in Lyon, France.
Beside his main appointments he holds several (visiting and/or honorary) professorships from different Universities, incl. University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
(1996-), University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
(1996–2004), University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
(1996–2002), University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
(1998-), University of Innsbruck
Innsbruck Medical University
The Innsbruck Medical University is a university in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. It used to be one of the fours historical faculties of the Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck but became an independent university in 2004.- History :The medical tradition dates back long before the foundation of...
(1998), University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(2003-).
He was editor-in-chief (together with Carlo La Vecchia and Alec Walker) of the Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
The Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is a peer reviewed journal for epidemiological and biostatistical studies. It is published by Martin Dunitz Ltd, part of Taylor & Francis Group. It covers Biology, Mathematics and Statistics and Public Health. In 2002 the title was changed to Journal of...
from 1995–2003 and of the European Journal of Cancer
European Journal of Cancer
The European Journal of Cancer is a peer-reviewed medical journal devoted to cancer research on experimental oncology, clinical oncology , and on cancer epidemiology and prevention. The editor-in-chief is Alexander M. M. Eggermont ....
from 1990-1994. Peter Boyle was associate editor of Oncology and Haematology Literature Service from 1993–1998 and still is it for the journals Annals of Oncology
Annals of Oncology
The Annals of Oncology, abbreviated Ann Oncol, is the official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology, published by Oxford University Press....
(since 1999) and the British Journal of Urology International
British Journal of Urology International
The British Journal of Urology International is a peer reviewed journal devoted to pediatric and adult urological research. It is the official journal of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand. It is the International Journal of the...
(since 2002). Furthermore he was or is a member of the editorial boards of the following Journals, Cancer Causes and Control (1990–1994), Swiss Journal of Social and Preventive Medicine (1990–present), British Journal of Cancer
British Journal of Cancer
The British Journal of Cancer a twice-monthly professional medical journal of Cancer Research UK , published on their behalf by the Nature Publishing Group ....
(1990–1997), Prospectives (1990–99), BPH Observer (1990–99), The Breast (journal)
The Breast (journal)
The Breast is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier covering research on breast cancer. It is an associate journal of the Australasian Society for Breast Disease- External links :*...
(1991–97), Oral Oncology
Oral Oncology
Oral Oncology is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier covering research about head and neck cancer. It is the official journal of the International Association of Oral Pathologists, the European Association of Oral Medicine, and the International Academy of Oral Oncology....
(1991–present), European R and D Database (1993–98), Lung Cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
(1995–present), Journal of Radiation Therapy (1996–present), European Cancer News (1996–98), Journal of Gynecologic Oncology (1996–present), Annals of Oncology
Annals of Oncology
The Annals of Oncology, abbreviated Ann Oncol, is the official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology, published by Oxford University Press....
(1996–present), URO (Portuguese Journal of Urology) (1996–present), Breast Cancer Online (1999–present), Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
(2003–present), Nature Reviews Urology (2004–present), Molecular Oncology
Molecular Oncology (journal)
Molecular Oncology is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in molecular oncology. It is published by Elsevier on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies....
(2006–present).
Peter Boyle has published more than 500 articles in scientific journals and is co-/author of some 23 books, including textbooks and cancer atlases.
Scientific merits
Boyle's specific field of research is prevention research. He has contributed to the fields of tobacco and lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Peter Boyle is an internationally well known cancer prevention advocate (European Code against Cancer, or The Globalisation of Cancer).Peter Boyle is and was member of many national and international scientific committees, including Secretary, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, EORTC
EORTC
The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer or EORTC is an international non-profit organisation that develops, coordinates and stimulates cancer laboratory and clinical research in Europe...
, Brussels (1986–92), Chairman, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, European Society of Mastology (1989–1997), International Prostate Health Council (1989–2003), Scientific Advisory Board, European School of Oncology, Milan (1992–1999), Chairman, European Commission Expert Committee Cancer Plan (2000–2004), Chairman, Scientific Evaluation Committee, European Tobacco Fund, EC (1999–2002), CEO Advisory Committee, American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
(2002–present), International Affairs Committee, American Association for Cancer Research
American Association for Cancer Research
The American Association for Cancer Research is the world's oldest and largest professional association to advancing cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research including basic, clinical and translational research into the etiology, prevention, diagnosis,...
(2003–present), Multidisciplinary Oncology Committee, European Society for Medical Oncology
European Society for Medical Oncology
-About ESMO:The European Society for Medical Oncology is a non-profit professional medical oncology society in Europe.ESMO offers post-graduate education and training in clinical cancer care and research, and produces evidence-based recommendations for basic standards of cancer care...
(ESMO) (2006–present), International Affairs Committee, American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of Clinical Oncology
The American Society of Clinical Oncology is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Drs...
(2008–present).
He received many awards, medals and is member of many scientific societies, among which are Honorary Member of the Argentine Medical Association
Argentine Medical Association
The Argentine Medical Association is the principal professional association of physicians in Argentina. It is a medical non-profit organization with headquarters in Buenos Aires.-Overview:...
(1996), Knight's Cross of Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2000), Fellow of Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(2000), Award from the President of Israel for Lifetime Contribution to Cancer Research, on Occasion of 50th Anniversary of Israel Cancer Association, Jerusalem (2002), Honorary Member, Hungarian Cancer Society (2003), Honorary Member, European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) in 2003, Award of Honorary Doctor of Science by University of Aberdeen (2006) and Elected Fellow of Academy of Medical Sciences
Academy of Medical Sciences
The Academy of Medical Sciences is the United Kingdom's national academy of medical sciences. It was established in 1998 on the recommendation of a group that was chaired by Michael Atiyah. Its president is John Irving Bell....
(2006), Elected Fellow of Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
(2006), elected full member of ESMO (first non-medical oncologist elected to full membership) in 2006, Gold Award of the Health Promotion Foundation of Poland (2008).