• Professor
  Cancer Prevention and Control Program
  University of Hawaii Cancer Center
• District Health Officer
  District Health Office, Island of Kauai
  Hawaii State Department of Health

Degrees

• MD
  All India Institute of Medical Sciences
• MPH, Public Health
  Harvard School of Public Health

Research Focus

Dr. Bal has served as the Hawaii State Department of Health Kauai District Health Officer since 2005 and as special advisor on cancer, chronic disease, tobacco and nutrition to the director of the department.

Before arriving in Hawaii, he served as the Chief of the Cancer Control Branch within the Department of Health Services with the State of California for more than twenty years. He was responsible for the following sections within the Branch: Tobacco Control Section, Cancer Detection Section, Cancer Surveillance Section/California Cancer Registry, Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, and Cancer Planning, Research and Disparities Section. He was a clinical professor at the medical school of the University of California at Davis and has published extensively in the cancer prevention and control areas, especially about diet and cancer, tobacco, and cancer and the underserved.

With the advent of Proposition 99, which added a $.25 tax on each package of cigarettes sold in California, he became responsible for implementing California's tobacco control efforts. This tobacco use prevention and cessation program is one of the largest of its kind in the world and has been universally acclaimed for its innovations and effectiveness.

Dr. Bal has been Principal Investigator on several large National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control cancer prevention and control projects. Currently he is on the editorial board or, is an active reviewer, for several peer-reviewed medical journals as well as for the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Bal is a frequent speaker on public health, medical and social issues, both nationally and internationally.

Publication list via PubMed