The American Cancer Society has awarded more than $16 million in grants to establish Cancer Health Equity Research Centers (CHERC) at minority-serving institutions. The inaugural cohort of institutions includes the Arizona Board of Regents–University of Arizona, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Howard University. Each institution received a 4-year grant of $4.08 million.
“The American Cancer Society believes that everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer,” said Karen Knudsen, MBA, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society. “This funding is an important step to achieving health equity, which is essential to achieving our mission and it’s a moral imperative.”
The institutions selected in the initial cohort will implement solution-based research addressing cancer health disparities that will contribute to achieving health equity and reducing cancer mortality.
Karen Knudsen, MBA, PhD
Tawana Thomas Johnson
Addressing the Roots of Cancer Health Disparities
“Cancer is a disease that affects everyone, but it does not affect everyone equally,” said Tawana Thomas Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for the American Cancer Society. “Many barriers can impact a person’s ability to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. This funding will allow the CHERC to target cancer health disparities unique to a local or regional community.”
To accelerate progress in health equity research, the sources of cancer health disparities must be examined within the context of the social determinants of health. This requires consideration of obstacles to health caused by poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.
