increase the risk of the disease and fostering behaviors that may help to prevent it. As science improves understanding of the causes of breast cancer, research findings must be translated into clinical and educational interventions and policies that support prevention. These translation activities require that accessible information reach stakeholders from multiple audiences. It is critical that advocates and other community stakeholders participate in the research translation process to interpret and communicate findings to diverse audiences in ways that facilitate their application to public concerns. Translation of research findings also can be accelerated through use of evidence-based practices that promote the integration of research findings and evidence into health care policy and practice. Continued investment in implementation science will help to generate evidence on best practices for research translation and dissemination. Routinely including culturally appropriate targeted dissemination and communication efforts in funded projects from their outset will help to ensure that science enters the public domain rapidly and accurately and reaches stakeholders who are invested in breast cancer prevention. Research is needed to determine the best dissemination and communication approaches to achieve this goal. Translation, dissemination, and communication of research findings must proactively protect public health and guide the advancement of regulatory policies that create measurable changes in environmental factors linked to breast cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality. Conclusion Prevention is the key to reducing the burden of breast cancer. Science must seek greater understanding of the environmental and genetic factors that influence risk, susceptibility, and the progression of the disease, in addition to searching for new diagnostic tools and cures. Enhanced investment in prevention Train Transdisciplinary Researchers The Committee recommends federal programs that encourage and enable scientists to engage in transdisciplinary research. Accelerating research on breast cancer and the environment will require increasing the numbers of large, transdisciplinary activities. Scientists from many disciplines must be engaged to develop new ways of thinking about breast cancer prevention. Scientists require training across the career trajectory—from undergraduate to investigator—to develop the skill sets necessary for active and effective engagement in transdisciplinary research. Opportunities and incentives for acquiring these skills are needed to promote involvement. Currently, opportunities for scientists to learn how to function in a transdisciplinary environment are limited. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP) is a model of transdisciplinary research and includes basic and population scientists, advocates, and community stakeholders. An example of collaboration across agencies is the National Toxicology Program (NTP), which coordinates toxicology testing programs across the federal government and involves NIEHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The NTP Executive Committee also includes the NCI, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), DoD, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Translate and Communicate Science to Society The Committee recommends that the translation and dissemination of research findings be built from the start into every funded program that focuses on breast cancer and the environment. 1-6 Breast Cancer and the Environment: Prioritizing Prevention 1 modifying social and lifestyle factors implicated in breast cancer. The Committee acknowledges that there are many points of view regarding the path forward to a breast cancer prevention strategy. Prevention does not come easily. The issues must be discussed widely, broadly, often, and vigorously to inform science, public health practice, and policy. Sustained coordination across research and regulatory agencies as well as nongovernmental organizations will be necessary to achieve our vision. research—from the initial concept of studies built on strong partnerships between breast cancer advocates and scientists to the timely dissemination and translation of research findings—ultimately will reduce the incidence of breast cancer in future generations. The Committee submits these recommendations to the Secretary of the HHS with a vision toward reducing or eliminating environmental exposures and References 1. LA. Through a glass darkly: advances in understanding breast cancer biology, 2000-2010. Clin Breast Cancer. 2010;10(3):188-95. 2-1 Breast Cancer and the Environment: Prioritizing Prevention 2 Breast cancer is a complex disease that affects women and men of all ages and ethnic groups. Despite decades of productive research on breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, preventing this cancer is the only way to reduce the human toll of this disease that affects 1 in 8 women in their lifetime.1 In 2012, an estimated 227,000 women and 2,200 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, while approximately 40,000 women will die