News and Events
Lifestyles Magazine
Volume 33, no. 133
Fall 2004
Devra Lee Davis: Affecting Patterns
By Robert K. Epstein
Devra Lee Davis is a world-renowned epidemiologist, which leads to the question: So, what exactly is an epidemiologist? For the record, epidemiology is described as either the study of the elements contributing to the occurrence or nonoccurrence of disease or the branch of medicine dealing with epidemics. Davis prefers, "The study of patterns affecting a large number of people in a confined time and space."
Breast cancer is a particular interest for Davis, for obvious reasons. This year, 183,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States alone and more than 41,000 American women will die from the disease. The numbers worldwide aren't prettier, though they might be affected by earlier death from other causes. David predicts, "Every family will be affected in some way."
One might assume this would precipitate a world-wide uproar. Forget about it. "In many places, resources have been allocated to other areas, but, mainly, we focus so much on treating and finding the disease that we don't pay enough attention to understanding how to keep cancers from occurring," explains Davis, who remains a fervent advocate of breast cancer prevention. She has meticulously stripped away the misperceptions like so many layers of an onion, yet each morsel of knowledge has led to more questions. There is at least one certainty: the incidence of breast cancer is increasing; most women who get the disease have no known risk factors, and we don't know why this is happening.
To understand Davis' ardor, one must examine her past. Her hometown, Donora, Pennsylvania, is known to baseball fans as the birthplace of both Stan Musial and Ken Griffey Sr. However, Davis remembers it differently. She recalls, "Donora was famous in the way Son of Sam and Jack the Ripper were famous. The Saturday after Halloween, 1948, so many people in our small town dropped dead from breathing dirty air from the local mills that the funeral homes ran out of caskets. Donora was a very dirty, very prosperous little mill town. How dirty was it? Well, some of the streets were literally paved with coal."
As a result, Davis, unlike many of her contemporaries, already had a clear idea of her major when she left home for the University of Pittsburgh. "I had to go away to college to learn what really happened in Donora," recalls Davis, who graduated with a B.S. in physiological psychology and an M.A. in sociology by age 20, prior to completing a Ph.D. in science studies at the University of Chicago and an M.P.H. in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.
So armed, she embarked on what has become a lifetime quest. It didn't take long for her work to attract the notice of her peers. Dr. Marvin Schneiderman, who was the Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute, called. Schneiderman, an internationally acclaimed epidemiologist, needed a theoretician. Davis says, "I couldn't believe this famous gray-haired man with 250 published articles wanted me to work with him! It turns out we were a great team. He did the data, and I provided the big picture."
The initial findings were interesting. "Everyone assumed smoking was the primary cause of cancer," notes Davis. "However, we found the cancer rate was increasing worldwide for reasons unrelated to smoking."
Their views weren't accepted immediately. Davis adds, "We went through the three stages of science. First, your theory is regarded as ridiculous. Then, a number of people say ‘This might be true, but it is not important.' Finally, everyone recognized the significance and says they figured it out first. I would like to think we are now in this phase."
Davis targeted breast cancer because, "We learned that only one of 20 who get it is born with a predisposition to get sick. What happens?"
The findings have been revealing. "They showed it was not enough to state the cause was environmental," says Davis, "it also required a more specific understanding of all the things that affect our overall environment, including diet, exercise and physical chemical exposures."
They examined the female menstrual cycle. "The breast is susceptible to developing cancer the earlier in life that a woman begins to have regular hormonal cycles. Therefore, early beginning of menses must be studied as a risk factor. The earlier menses begins and the later it ends, the greater the exposure to hormones that affect a woman's breast growth. Furthermore, the timing of the jeopardy can be even more critical. For example, being exposed to radiation during prenatal breast formation or early adolescence can be more carcinogenic than exposure later in life. A number of widely used preservatives found in cosmetics and some environmental chemicals can affect the types of hormones to which a woman will be exposed."
Davis is relentless in spreading her messages. She co-produced an award-winning documentary that featured Olivia Newton John to call attention to the problem. She is currently working with WETA, the country's third-largest public-television station, to produce another documentary on the environmental links to health, based on her new book. Local, state and federal governments are bombarded with information. Industrial giants are brow-beaten to clean up their acts. However, she doesn't allow the "buck" to stop with them. "There are so many things we can do on an individual basis," she explains, "and we must support those companies that are developing greener, cleaner methods of working, building and transporting us all."
"Alcohol increases the circulation of hormones, so stay away from liquor. Exercise, on the other hand, can reverse this process. Diet is important. Make sure you get fiber and the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals from foods as well as using vitamin supplements to get enough vitamin E and other essential plant oils. Reduce or eliminate the exposure in your home to pesticides, solvents, fuels, pharmaceuticals and so on. We are discussing plain common sense. Be aware of your surroundings whether it's at home, the workplace, or even on the golf course."
Davis notes that studies do not indicate a direct relationship between increased pollution and breast cancer among Asian women. It appears their diets have shielded them to date. They eat great quantities of fish and vegetables while consuming small amounts of dairy products. In other countries, it has been shown that girls who are taller and heavier at an earlier age are at greater risk exclusive of other factors. Davis says, "This goes beyond genetic or cultural predisposition."
Because of her dedication to her work, Davis is the first writer on environmental health since Rachel Carson to become a National Book Award finalist for her work, When Smoke Ran Like Water. She has been honored by the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center, and has some 170 published articles to her credit. She is a Visiting Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School, as well as Honorary Professor at London's School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an Expert Advisor to the World Health Organization and served on the government's Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation. She has also been Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services and Executive Director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the U.S. National Research Council of the National Academy of Science (1983-1993). Hadassah featured her as one of the top Jewish women scientists in its calendar released last year (www.hadassah.org). With cancer experts at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, she is laying the groundwork for the first hospital-based Center for Environmental Oncology, a revolutionary program that will generate and provide information for cancer patients, their families and communities on the "goods" that reduce cancer risk and the "bads" that increase it (www.upci.upmc.edu).
Davis practices what she preaches on several levels, with her passion for the great outdoors being the most obvious. In 1993, she joined some breast cancer patients in climbing Mt. Rainier. Several years later, the occasion of her 50th birthday was marked by trekking up and down two Mexican volcanoes. She says, "It is never too late to start regular exercise. At any age it is beneficial, for it reduces the body's fat level."
Biking, skiing and hiking are regular features of her daily life. Her husband and children Aaron, 27, and Leah, 24, frequently join her on these outings. "It's physically, spiritually and psychically refreshing," she adds.
With all of this, most people would already have an overloaded schedule. In Davis' case, the Jewish component of her life deserves more than equal time. In fact, she considers it complementary to the other areas.
Again, for a true understanding, one needs to return to Donora, where the Jews were a minority in a small town. "For many of us, our existence was similar to scenes of the American South as evoked by the work of Harold Uhry," recalls Davis. "They tried to deny their religion."
Nevertheless, there were sufficient religious amenities, such as a shochet (a kosher butcher), and an Orthodox synagogue. Davis' family took advantage of all of them. "We didn't try to blend in like the others," Davis explains. "We were never shy about our Judaism."
"Naturally, our home was kosher. We walked to shul, whereas others drove, with the exception of my grandmother. She didn't feel comfortable with the car, but it was preferable (to her) to being unable to attend services."
It should come as no surprise that Davis' studies with her rabbi commenced at the tender age of 4. Her mother, Jean Davis, reported that "Devra was precocious. Her intellect could not be contained. She was always ahead of herself, wanting to learn as much as possible. The questions never ended. She is naturally inquisitive and her career reflects this."
Davis recalls, "We took pride in being different. That's the true meaning of ‘chosen people.' We have a rich heritage and should be proud of this. My rabbi reinforced this attitude for me. He was such an inspiring teacher, spending hours with me and patiently answered all of my questions – and there were plenty. It made me study even harder."
"I loved his stories. We would invent footnotes for them. It was so intriguing that you could have interpretations and differing opinions. This has stayed with me to this day."
Davis continued to study at cheder, but, being tall for her age, she was sent to the back of the sanctuary earlier than was normal for young women. Davis was not comfortable with this concept. "I couldn't understand being treated this way. It was inconsistent with the openness I enjoyed from the learning," she admits.
Nevertheless, Davis found herself being pulled closer to her faith, even as her work made greater and greater demands on her time. This speaks volumes about the way in which she was raised.
After raising four children, the late Jean Davis prepared for a bat mitzvah, her own. She was 45 and also decided at that time to attend the University of Pittsburgh to earn her degree in Jewish Studies. Then, she became a Hebrew School teacher.
Always active at her synagogue, where she was president of the sisterhood, Jean Davis volunteered at Pioneer Women, later Na'amat, where she rose to several leadership positions. In addition, she was instrumental in the establishment of five centers for the prevention of domestic violence. "I became active in this organization because it is devoted to elevating the status of women through child care and education," she explained.
Her daughter absorbed these lessons. When interviewed at Yeshiva University/Stern College some years ago for a visiting professorship, the interrogators queried, "When did your Jewish education end?" She responded, "How can your Jewish education end?" The position was promptly offered to Davis and, during her tenure, a chair for environmental studies was established at the university. Her mother said, "I believe Devra would be right-wing Orthodox if she could reconcile the women's role in the service."
This doesn't prevent Davis from preaching the benefits of prayer. A life member of Hadassah and Na'amat, she serves on advisory boards to the Coalition of Organizations n the Environment and Jewish Life (www.coejl.org) and to the Canfei Nesharim (www.canfeinesharim.org). Her lectures are punctuated by Talmudic parables. She says, "it is so important for people to have peace and calm in their lives in order to heal."
She will continue to deliver that message. Davis says, "Spinoza advised us to study the past in order to change the future. The public and private sectors must work together. We can save eight million lives in the next two decades just by improving the way we use fuels today throughout the world."
To make her point, Davis references a Talmudic story of Rabbi Targun. "Workers protest a monumental task they have been assigned: ‘It is too difficult, too big, too tiring, we don't have the right tools' and so on. The teacher responds, ‘It is not for you to finish the job, but, you must begin it."
Writer, scientist, movie producer, researcher, preacher, educator, daughter, wife, mother, committed Jew, Devra Davis approaches all with equal passion. Sometimes they intersect. She advises, "Eat chicken soup. It contains interferon, a known anticarcinogen."
Her philosophy is clear. She explains, "I believe in tikkun olam: Leave the world a better place."
For more information, visit her website at www.whensmokeranlikewater.com.
© 2004 Lifestyles Magazine. Reprinted with permisson.