Join GrassrootsHealth on World Vitamin D Day, November 2, to celebrate three scientists whose work has advanced research on vitamin D, sunlight, and cancer prevention.
Key Points
- GrassrootsHealth’s inaugural Baggerly-Garland Vitamin D Scientist Awards recognize Drs. Edward Gorham, William Grant, and Joan Lappe for their pioneering research on vitamin D, sunlight, and cancer prevention.
- The awards honor the legacies of Carole Baggerly and Drs. Frank and Cedric Garland, whose vision and persistence helped move vitamin D research into public awareness and action.
- Join us in San Diego or virtually on November 2, 2026, at 11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern
GrassrootsHealth is proud to announce the inaugural Baggerly-Garland Vitamin D Scientist Awards, honoring Edward D. Gorham, MPH, PhD; William B. Grant, PhD; and Joan M. Lappe, PhD, RN, FAAN.
These scientists have spent decades investigating a question with enormous implications for public health: What role might vitamin D and sunlight play in reducing the burden of cancer?
On Monday, November 2, 2026 (World Vitamin D Day) we invite you to join us in person in San Diego or virtually for an awards ceremony and press conference recognizing their discoveries, persistence, and commitment to disease prevention.
Visit the event page and RSVP here.
Legacies That Continue to Inspire
The awards honor the memory of Carole Baggerly, founder of GrassrootsHealth, and Drs. Frank and Cedric Garland, pioneers in research on sunlight, vitamin D, and cancer.
Carole worked tirelessly to bring vitamin D research out of scientific journals and into the hands of people who could benefit from it and take action. By founding GrassrootsHealth, she connected researchers, health professionals, and the public, helping build a movement focused on moving research into practice – a movement that is still strong today. (Stay tuned for some additional exciting announcements!)
Dr. Frank Garland, alongside his brother Dr. Cedric Garland, helped launch a new direction in cancer research. Their landmark 1980 paper proposed that differences in sunlight exposure and the vitamin D it helps the body produce might help explain geographic differences in colon cancer mortality. Many studies on the relationship between sunlight, vitamin D, and multiple types of cancer have since been published.
Their shared legacy is one of asking important questions, following the evidence, and taking action to improve public health, even when those ideas challenge prevailing views.
Meet the Inaugural Award Recipients
Dr. Edward D. Gorham: Following Patterns to Better Understand Cancer Risk
Dr. Edward Gorham’s career has centered on using epidemiology, the study of patterns and causes of disease, to investigate scientific questions that matter to our health. Working with Drs. Cedric and Frank Garland, he examined how sunlight, latitude, and air pollution related to cancer rates. His 1989 study investigated air pollution and breast and colon cancer mortality in Canadian cities, helping explore whether pollution that reduces UVB exposure could contribute to geographic differences in cancer mortality. His subsequent research examined sunlight and breast cancer incidence in the former Soviet Union, as well as vitamin D blood levels and disease risk using stored blood samples from U.S. military personnel.
Across 150 biomedical papers and reports, Dr. Gorham has contributed significantly to a body of research that continues to shape questions about vitamin D, sunlight, and cancer prevention. Read Dr. Gorham’s bio here.
Dr. William B. Grant: Connecting Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health
Dr. William Grant brought the perspective of a physicist and atmospheric scientist to the study of human health. After a career that included research at NASA, he applied methods for comparing environmental conditions across geographic regions to questions about nutrition and disease. His influential 2002 study expanded the evidence linking greater ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure, the portion of sunlight that enables vitamin D production, with lower mortality from several types of cancer.
As founder and director of the San Francisco-based Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center (SUNARC), Dr. Grant has continued to investigate vitamin D, sunlight, nutrition, and disease risk. His work has helped broaden the scientific conversation about prevention and the potential public health significance of vitamin D. Read Dr. Grant’s biography here.
Dr. Joan M. Lappe: Bringing the Cancer Question into Clinical Trials
Dr. Joan Lappe, Professor Emeritus at Creighton University, has devoted her career to research that can improve people’s health. She joined Dr. Robert Heaney’s research team in 1988, initially studying osteoporosis before developing her own research program on calcium, vitamin D, and disease prevention.
Her 2007 randomized trial reported 76% lower cancer incidence among women receiving vitamin D and calcium compared with placebo when cancers diagnosed during the first year were excluded. Cancer was a secondary outcome in that study, which originally focused on bone health. She followed this work with a larger trial, published in JAMA in 2017, designed specifically to study cancer incidence. The primary comparison between the supplementation and placebo groups did not reach statistical significance, while a secondary analysis found that higher achieved vitamin D blood levels were associated with lower cancer risk.
Together, these studies helped focus attention on an important research question: How do participants’ starting vitamin D levels, and the levels they achieve, affect the interpretation of supplementation trials?
For Dr. Lappe, the motivation is deeply embedded in her passion for helping others:
“Knowing that our research may help numerous individuals avoid a cancer diagnosis and the concomitant suffering is extremely satisfying.”
Read Dr. Lappe’s bio here.
From Discovery to Action
The stories behind these awards are closely connected. Research by the Garlands, Dr. Grant, and Dr. Gorham helped inspire Dr. Heaney and Dr. Lappe to investigate cancer outcomes in their own studies. Carole Baggerly then helped connect these scientists and bring their findings to a much wider audience, asking the question, “Where is your sense of urgency?!” followed by “What actions can best be taken?”
In her tribute to Dr. Heaney, Dr. Lappe recalls how an early meeting with Carole, who had traveled from California in a recreational vehicle to discuss vitamin D, grew into a lasting collaboration. Dr. Heaney eventually became the Research Director for GrassrootsHealth.
These relationships reflect the purpose of the awards: to recognize scientific contributions and the dedication required to turn research into a public conversation about prevention and action.
As next month (October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month) brings renewed attention to women’s health, this celebration also offers an opportunity to learn about research on vitamin D and breast cancer, which was Carole’s inspiration for beginning GrassrootsHealth, alongside work involving other cancers.
Join Us on World Vitamin D Day!
Please join us to honor these pioneers and take part in a conversation about vitamin D and its role in disease prevention.
Date: Monday, November 2, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific / 2:00 PM Eastern
Location: Goldberg Auditorium, Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health
Attendance: In person in San Diego or virtually via Zoom
The inaugural awards are made possible through the generous sponsorship of Solius Labs. GrassrootsHealth is also proud to partner with the Helen Knoll Foundation to expand public awareness of vitamin D research in breast health and cancer prevention.
Visit the event page and RSVP to attend in person or virtually.
Please share this invitation with friends, colleagues, health professionals, and others interested in vitamin D research. Help us celebrate the people whose work continues to inspire new questions and possibilities for prevention.
Interested in Being a Media Partner for this Event? Contact jen@grassrootshealth.org and view our media kit here.
Measuring Your Level is Important… Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?
The only way to know is to test your levels! Testing versus blind supplementation is essential to know for sure if what you are taking is the right amount for you. Once you test your vitamin D (and other levels) to know where you are NOW, you can account for any upcoming changes in lifestyle over the coming months and adjust your intake to reach (or maintain) your targets.
Measure your:
- Vitamin D
- Magnesium PLUS Elements
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- hsCRP
- HbA1c
- TSH
- Type 1 Diabetes Autoantibodies
Did you know that each of the above can be measured at home using a simple blood spot test? As part of our ongoing research project, you can order your home blood spot test kit to get your levels, followed by education and steps to take to help you reach your optimal target levels. Start by enrolling and ordering your kit to measure each of the above important markers, and make sure you are getting enough of each to support better mood and wellbeing!
Create your custom home test kit today. Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. With measurement you can then determine how much is needed and steps to achieve your goals. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU.
