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Researchers from VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center shared their work at the 18th Annual American Association of Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Baltimore.

“We have reduced the cancer mortality rate by nearly 36% in the past thirty years,” said Robert A. Winn, M.D., director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, during the opening keynote of the conference. “We are celebrating eighteen years of this conference focused specifically on the science of cancer health disparities. We are celebrating the giants in our field that have brought us this far. We need to celebrate that progress and keep going.”

He highlighted the history of cancer health disparities, including milestones like the Heckler Report, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the NCI Center to Reduce Health Disparities, and others.

During a plenary session panel with Elena Martinez, Ph.D., associate director of community engagement at University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Chanita Hughes-Halbert, Ph.D., associate director for cancer health disparities at University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Clayton C. Yates, Ph.D. professor of oncology and urology at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Winn raised the following questions: How can we continue this fight in turbulent times? How can we weather the storm?

“We have to be resilient, and find different ways to be resilient,” said Dr. Martinez. “It’s critical that cancer health disparities researchers seek out alternative funding sources and not give up.”

Panelists also discussed the importance of engaging personal and professional networks to lift up the critical research of cancer health disparities.

Joy L. Jones, Ph.D., and Megan Becker, Ph.D., from the Robert A. Winn Excellence In Clinical Trials Award Program presented their work building the career development award, and how solidifying public-private partnerships can make a difference not only for researchers but also for the long term clinical trial landscape.

“It's significant that we are here at AACR Health Disparities Conference because this is aligned with our mission,” Becker said. “It's what we're trying to solve for, reducing disparities in clinical research. Everybody here is trying to solve for it in different ways, and we're doing it by creating community oriented clinical trials.”

“One of the things that I really love about Massey is that we bring a voice to those areas of science that haven't had the voice,” said Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., associate director of population sciences at Massey, member of Massey’s cancer prevention and control group, and a professor of health behavior and policy at the VCU School of Medicine, who presented about the importance of resilience among early-stage investigators. “One of Massey's missions is really to improve cancer health disparities and improve community engaged research. And so this conference really is a great way of amplifying that voice. And I think we’re making a national impact by amplifying that voice.”

The 18th Annual AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities is dedicated to advancing the understanding of cancer health disparities that pose significant public health challenges and affect vulnerable populations.

Written by: Nicole Hansen