6th annual Cancer Disparities Symposium

The 6th annual Cancer Disparities Symposium, hosted by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, will take place from Thursday, March 3, through Friday, March 4. The symposium will be in a virtual format.

“Racism, Poverty and Biology and the Intersection with Cancer Screenings, Diagnosis and Treatment” is the focus of this year’s symposium. The symposium will be kicked off by Robert Winn, director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Winn has received national and international acclaim for his efforts to empower underserved patient populations, improve health care delivery and ensure equal access to cancer care. His keynote presentation will address tactics we need to implement to tackle cancer disparities as we move forward from the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act.

The symposium’s second keynote speaker is Lori J. Pierce, a radiation oncologist and 57th president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). She is a professor of medicine and vice provost for academic and faculty affairs at the University of Michigan. Pierce has dedicated her career to the treatment of breast cancer patients. She has worked to address equity issues in health care in general and specifically in cancer care; equity was her theme for ASCO during her presidency. Her current initiatives include a focus on increasing minority enrollment in clinical trials, which she will address this during her keynote presentation.

This year’s symposium will again include a common reading. The chosen book is “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See” by Jennifer L. Eberhardt. The small group discussions will focus on how bias can impact how we serve people and what we can do to address bias, which is a key component of what Eberhardt outlines in her book.

Learn more about the symposium.