Welcome  to  public  health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. More  than  11  million  Americans  are  cancer  survivors. And  the  number  is  growing  yet. Little  is  known  about  how  to  help working  age  cancer  survivors  as they  return  to  their  jobs  and  try  to balance  work  life  and  their  health. Nancy  Knock,  in,  an  environmental  health  professor at  the  University  of  Minnesota  is  trying  to  help. Recently,  she  conducted  a  study  involving 110  working  age  women  who  are  cancer  survivors. The  Minnesota  Medical  Foundation  funded  the  study. We  were  looking  at  changes  that  occurred  in the  first  six  months  after  diagnosis. And  we  were  finding  that  by  month  two, that  was  the  key  month  where most  women  were  decreasing  their  work  hours. So  you  might  think  that  it  might peak  in  that  first  month, but  actually  it  was  that  second  month. And  probably  due  to  a  lot  of the  fatigue  from  the  treatment  that  they  were  going through  Knock  Reiner  says  that the  study  results  can  help  survivors, health  providers,  and  employers. It's  important  for  the  providers  who  are  working  with these  patients  so  they can  help  guide  them  through  the  process. Important  for  the  patients because  they  need  to  know  what  to expect  and  they  need  to  know  their  own  legal  protections. I  think  it's  beneficial  for  the  employers  too because  they're  keeping this  very  important  asset  to  them. They've  got  these  skilled  employees  who  can  remain in  the  workforce  with  another  public  health  moment. I'm  John  Finnegan.