Current Research Interests/Research Goals
Dr. Orlow leads the Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory. Her research interests include the study of host genetic and phenotypic characteristics in relation to cancer prognosis and survivorship in patients with melanoma and breast cancer, among others. With her lab, she contributes to additional investigations from multiple disciplines, and oversees biosample collections for large epidemiologic studies including, among others GEM, WECARE, the National Colonoscopy Study, EDGE, and CASH.
In the area of melanoma, Dr. Orlow is a member of the international Genes, Environment, and Melanoma (GEM) Study group, and the InterMEL consortium. Collaborations within GEM include among others, research on the vitamin D receptor and chemokine/chemokine receptor polymorphisms, and their role as modifiers of patients’ survival. She collaborates with Dr. Halpern (Dermatology) and Dr. Satagopan (Biostatistics) in studies that evaluate the effect of genetics, phenotypic characteristics, and exposures to further the knowledge of the biology and epidemiology of nevi —a known risk factor for melanoma. In addition, she is involved in studies to evaluate the sensitivity and accuracy of minimally invasive biopsy techniques. With Dr. Ahles, she is assessing the impact of host genetics and other biomarkers on neurocognitive function in patients with breast cancer. She, Dr. Correa (Neurology Department-MSK), and Dr. Satagopan (Biostatistics) are examining genetic characteristics in relation to cognitive function in patients treated with radiation.
