Stephen S HechtStephen Hecht received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently the Wallin Land Grant Professor of Cancer Prevention, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota. His research interest include mechanisms of metabolic activation and DNA modification by carcinogens in tobacco products and the human environment, and application of this knowledge to cancer prevention. His laboratory focuses on the properties of carcinogenic nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and aldehydes. Using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and related techniques, he has developed analytical methods for quantitation of carcinogen and toxicant metabolites and DNA adducts in laboratory animals and in human urine, blood, and tissues. These biomarkers are applied in collaborative clinical and epidemiologic studies. Stable isotope-labelled carcinogens and their analogues are employed in tobacco users to track individual differences in metabolism. The effects of naturally occurring potentially cancer-chemopreventive compounds on carcinogen metabolism in humans are also investigated. Among his numerous distinctions, Dr. Hecht has authored or co-authored over 700 peer-reviewed research publications, is Editor-in-Chief of Chemical Research in Toxicology, and in 2014 was named an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. Read More Read Less