Michael J. Thun is an American cancer researcher and emeritus vice president of epidemiological research at the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

(ACS).

Education

Thun served in the United States Army for 3 years as a

medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

. Upon completion of military service, Thun received his bachelor's degree from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1970, his MD from the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine, commonly known as Penn Med, is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of Medicine is the oldest medi ...

in 1975, and his master's degree in epidemiology from the

Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

in 1983.

Career

After receiving his masters', Thun worked for the

New Jersey Department of Health The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey's State Board of Health was established in 1877. Its administrative functions were vested in the Department of Health, which was crea ...

and the

Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

until 1989, when he joined the ACS as their director of analytic epidemiology. He was appointed vice president of epidemiology and surveillance research there in 1998, and held that position until he retired at the end of 2012.

Research

Thun is known for his research into the

health effects of tobacco Tobacco use has predominantly negative effects on human health and concern about health effects of tobacco has a long history. Research has focused primarily on cigarette smoking. Tobacco smoke contains more than 70 chemicals that cause can ...

, as well as for a number of studies he has published on the association between

aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...

use and cancer risk. He has also published studies on other putative risk factors for cancer, such as

red meat In gastronomy, red meat is commonly red when raw and a dark color after it is cooked, in contrast to white meat, which is pale in color before and after cooking. In culinary terms, only flesh from mammals or fowl (not fish) is classified as ...

consumption and certain

hair dye Hair coloring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the hair color. The main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to change to a color regarded as more fashionable or desirable, or to restore the original hair color ...

Views

Thun has advised people to limit their red meat consumption due to the adverse health affects associated with it. He has criticized the President’s Cancer Panel's 2010 report for arguing that the proportion of cancer cases caused by environmental factors has been "grossly underestimated."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thun, Michael J. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Cancer epidemiologists Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Harvard School of Public Health alumni American Cancer Society people category:United States Army soldiers