National Minority Quality Forum’s Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative Convenes ‘Cancer in Minority Communities’ White House Briefing

National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) convened a briefing on “Cancer in Minority Communities” as a part of the Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative – aligned with President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot 2.0 – on April 10 at The White House.

Dr. Gary A. Puckrein, NMQF President and CEO, led the briefing, which brought together stakeholders from the oncology community, minority health organizations, cancer experts and patient advocates to discuss earlier detection and treatment of cancer among underserved populations.

Speakers highlighted the link between environmental injustice, health disparities, and increased cancer incidence in at-risk, historically disenfranchised communities as well as the emergence of multi-cancer early detection technologies that could fundamentally shift cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment to an earlier stage.

Attendees also discussed investments needed to reduce health disparities including improving patient navigation of health resources, patient-provider communication, awareness of cancer screening and treatment options as well as rebuilding trust between the disenfranchised communities and key health stakeholders.

Speakers included Dr. Durado Brooks of Exact Sciences; Claressa Shields, women’s world boxing champion, breast cancer awareness advocate and CSSI ambassador; Shanda Cooper of Tigerlily Foundation; Bryon Daily of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; Joya Delgado-Harris of CEO Roundtable; Latoya Hill of Kaiser Family Foundation; Dr. Rena Jones of the National Cancer Institute; Dr. Alpa Patel of American Cancer Society; Darrol Roberts of Hessian Labs; Juny Simpson of Genentech; Matthew Tejada of the Environmental Protection Agency; and Flint activist Arthur Woodson.

In case you missed it, watch the video replays now.