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Cari Lichtman, MPH, MS
Senior Director
Biospecimen Management
Why I work for the ACS
I’ve had many amazing opportunities at American Cancer Society. The one I most value was helping enroll participants in our cancer prevention studies (CPS-3). I loved spending time with our amazing volunteers and study participants from Los Angeles to Iowa (my home state) to Shea Stadium in NYC—and many other places in between. Their stories and collective passion and commitment continue to energize me and make me a better researcher.”
At ACS since 1999
As Senior Director of Biospecimen Management in Population Science, Cari Lichtman’s primary mission is to maintain the integrity, including the safe and respectful handling, of more than 3 million biospecimens from people participating in an American Cancer Society (ACS) Cancer Prevention Study (CPS).
Her team of 3 scientists receive and catalog blood, buccal, urine, stool, and tumor samples from participants in both CPS-II and CPS-3. Lichtman and her team also collaborate with internal and external specialists, such as oncologists, pathologists, and environmental researchers, to help them access and process biospecimens.
CPS-II and CPS-3 have contributed to ACS, national, and international guidelines on cancer causes and cancer prevention. Their use to address knowledge gaps about cancer risk and cancer-related outcomes are unparalleled, leading some cancer experts to describe these large prospective cohort studies as national treasures.
Research focus and accomplishments
As a member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), Lichtman:
- Served on the programming committee international (Atlanta 2021 and Berlin 2016) and regional (Bethesda 2016) meetings.
- Presented a poster at the Dallas ISBER conference in 2018 to share results from the ACS CPS-3 lymphocyte viability study.
- Gave an oral presentation at the Berlin ISBER conference in 2016 on CPS-3 enrollment, focusing on collecting biospecimens in the field from approximately 300,000 participants.
- Was 1 of 2 members selected to present highlights from the Berlin meeting at the Bethesda 2016 regional meeting.
Publications
For a full list of Lichtman’s publications, visit her Google Scholar page.
Contact
cari.lichtman@cancer.org
404-929-6869
Professional organizations
- International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), Programming Committee
Education
- MPH: Epidemiology, Emory University, 1999
- MS: Analytical Chemistry, The University of Iowa, 1997
- BA: Biology & Chemistry, Monmouth College, 1994
Personal life
I live in the greater Atlanta area with my husband Dan, son Rory, and dog Oliver. When I’m not working, I like to socialize with friends and family, exercise, read, travel, and watch my son play baseball.
