CANCER DISPARITIES NEWS DIGEST (10.04.06)
Welcome to the first issue of the CRCHD E-Bulletin! The CRCHD E-Bulletin is a quarterly e-mail communication, sponsored by NCI's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD), focusing on providing timely information on cancer health disparities research, training, and awareness efforts. We are sending you this because of your interest in health disparities and hope you will find the information useful in your work and research. The CRCHD E-Bulletin will be sent to you automatically unless you ask to unsubscribe.
In This Issue...
CRCHD Announcements
NCI Awards $1M in CNP Pilots
NCI recently awarded 15 one-year pilot project grants enabling junior and minority biomedical and behavioral researchers within the Community Networks Program (CNP) to conduct community-based research requirement.
SPN Publications Now Available Online
You can now find a complete listing of all the publications from the SPN program on our website. The link provides an impressive listing of over 450 SPN publications by project site, and when available, provides links to abstracts/full articles online. To view, please visit http://crchd.cancer.gov
Cancer Supplement - Coming Soon! October 15, 2006
A soon-to-be-released CANCER supplement highlighting the activities and accomplishments of the Special Populations Networks (SPN) program. SPN was a five-year, nationwide NCI-funded project to reduce cancer health disparities in minority and underserved populations. The supplement is available online at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com
CRCHD to Launch New Website
CRCHD has updated and redesigned its website to go live mid-October. Features of the new website include more resources and tools for cancer health disparities researchers and more up to date information about cancer health disparities and CRCHD programs. Visit our website at http://crchd.cancer.gov
2006 Cancer Disparities Summit Presentation Slides Now Available Online
CRCHD and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) hosted this year's Cancer Health Disparities Summit 2006 in Bethesda, MD, on July 17-19, 2006. The PowerPoint presentation slides from this conference are now available online. To view, please visit http://www.cancermeetings.org
Patient Navigation Research Program Resource Manual is Now Available Online
The Patient Navigation Research Program Resource Manual, produced in collaboration with NCI's Office of Education and Special Initiatives, clusters NCI developed patient education materials (treatment-specific and general cancer support materials) across the cancer continuum to facilitate ease of use by navigators when working with patients facing breast, cervical, prostate or colorectal cancer diagnosis.
http://www.ncipoet.org/PatientNavigator
Cancer News from NCI, NIH, and other Federal Agencies
From the NCI Director
NCI Director Proposes $9 Million "Community Cancer Centers Program"
Niederhuber discusses proposed program to "bring the science to the patients where they live" at the latest National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) meeting, September 6, 2006. Pilot projects at about 6 hospitals would eventually be incorporated into RFAs as a permanent NCI program. 40% of funding would support health disparities research. NCAB members express support for this "ambitious" and "challenging" project.
https://lion.nci.nih.gov/viewitem.cfm?itemid=69861
See NIH Video Webcast
Statement from the National Cancer Institute on FDA Approval of the HPV Vaccine
"This vaccine opens a new era in cancer prevention," said NCI Acting Director John E. Niederhuber, M.D. on June 8, 2006. "It has the potential to save women's lives, as well as to reduce health disparities in the United States and around the world." Niederhuber added, "NCI's immunology and vaccine research regarding HPV infection is far from finished. We continue to work on improved vaccines and immunization technology, to make these prevention strategies even more effective and accessible to women worldwide."
http://www.cancer.gov
See Related Article
Human Papillomavirus Type 16 and 18 Variants: Race-Related Distribution and Persistence (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 98, No. 15, August 2, 2006)Building the Evidence Base
Annual Report to the Nation Finds Cancer Death Rates Continue to Drop; Lower Cancer Rates Observed in U.S. Latino Populations
A new report from the nation's leading cancer organization finds that Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to drop, maintaining a trend that began in the early 1990s. However, the rate of new cancers remains stable. The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2003, Featuring Cancer among U.S. Hispanic/Latino Populations" is published in the October 15, 2006, issue of Cancer.
http://www.cancer.gov
See Full Report
See Related NIH Video Webcasts
NCI Science Writers' Seminar on Cancer Rates in Minority Populations
NCAB Meeting Day 2
See Related Articles and Questions and Answers
Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer 1975-2003, With a Special Feature on Cancer Among U.S. Hispanic/Latino Populations: Questions and Answers
Do Hispanics have health edge?; A study at the University of Miami and elsewhere will explore why Hispanics live longer than other groups.
U.S. Breast Cancer Rate Stabilizes: Scientists Are Unsure Whether This Is a Trend or an Aberration
Blacks Face Unique Breast Cancer Threat
Shepherd of the Sick
"Poor people with cancer need a guiding hand," says Harold Freeman, M.D., NCI.
http://www.usnews.com
National Institutes of Health to Map Genomic Changes of Lung, Brain, and Ovarian Cancers
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recently announced the first three cancers that will be studied in the pilot phase of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. The cancers to be studied in the TCGA Pilot Project are lung, brain (glioblastoma), and ovarian.
http://www.cancer.gov
Most Americans Do Not Know When or How Often To Get Cancer Screening Tests
While most Americans know that mammograms, pap smears, and colonoscopies are screening exams for cancer, the majority of Americans do not know the appropriate age at which initiation of these tests is recommended, according to the latest brief from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).
http://www.nih.gov/news
Recently Updated Fact Sheet - Estimating Breast Cancer Risk: Questions and Answers
The new Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool is a computer program that women and their health care providers can use to estimate a woman's chances of developing breast cancer based on several recognized risk factors.
http://www.cancer.gov
Cancer News From the Field
NCI Grantee Spotlights
NCI Science Writers' Seminar on Cancer Rates in Minority Populations Wednesday, September 06, 2006 - Speakers included Drs. Grace Ma and Elmer Huerta
"Cancer Rates in Minority Populations," an NCI Science Writers' Seminar, with Brenda Edwards, Ph.D., NCI; Barry Miller, Ph.D., NCI; Elmer Huerta, M.D., George Washington University; and Grace Ma, Ph.D., Temple University.
http://videocast.nih.gov
Minority Participation in Clinical Trials
NCI's BenchMarks talks with Claudia Baquet, M.D. University of Maryland School of Medicine, about some of the obstacles to minority participation in clinical trials and what can be done about them.
http://www.cancer.gov
Are There Genetic Underpinnings of Cancer Disparities?
Since sequencing of the human genome was completed in 2001, scientists have found that people are more alike than they are different. However, certain genetic factors, like susceptibility to disease, can vary from one population to another. This month, BenchMarks discusses how inherent genomic variations can provide new insight into the genetic underpinnings of cancer.
http://www.cancer.gov
NCI Grantee Amelie Ramirez appointed Director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research
Amelie Ramirez, Dr.PH. has been appointed as the Director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research in the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and as the Director of Outreach and Health Care Disparities at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. She will also hold the title of Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
2006 Hope Cometh Community Service Award recipient is NCI Grantee Funmi Apantaku Onayemi
The National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer at the University of Illinois at Chicago will celebrate African-American breast cancer survivors on October 7, 2006 at an event titled "Hope Cometh" as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Funmi Apantaku-Onayemi, regional director, National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer at UIC, will receive the Hope Cometh Community Service Award. Apantaku-Onayemi states, "This event is about hope and inspiration for a community in despair. We want to make people aware of the survivors who lead full, active and vibrant lives."
http://eu.transcoder.usablenet.com
First-Ever Summit Stressing Preventing Cancer Among Asian Americans
The 2006 Cancer Disparities Summit, sponsored by NCI and NCMHD, could have the effect of increasing awareness and understanding of the disease at the community level of the underserved in the Asian Pacific American community. Moon Chen Jr., Ph.D., M.D., of the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, & Training (AANCART), states "cancer among Asian Pacific Americans could be described in three ways: 'unique, unusual and unnecessary'."
http://news.newamericamedia.org
Cancer Control Journal launches new "department" with focus on CBPR
(Cancer Control: Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center, Vol.13, No. 3 July 2006)
The July 2006 issue of Cancer Control Journal launched a new regular "department" on Cancer, Culture and Literacy that features articles on such topics as health disparities, CBPR methods, cancer education and training innovations, and health policy.
https://www.moffitt.usf.edu
See Related Article
Enhancing Practice
Randomized Trial of an Intervention to Improve Mammography Utilization Among a Triracial Rural Population of Women
(Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 98, No. 17, 1226-1237, September 6, 2006)
Mammography is underused by certain groups of women, in particular poor and minority women. The authors developed a lay health advisor (LHA) intervention based on behavioral theories and tested whether it improved mammography attendance in Robeson County, NC, a rural, low-income, triracial (white, Native American, African American) population.
See Full Article
http://jncicancerspectrum.oxfordjournals.org
See Related Articles
Lay Health Advisers Improve Women's Use of Mammography
Patient Navigator Approach Boosts Cancer Screening in Low-Income Women
(CA Cancer J Clin 2006; 56:190-192)
Low-income women got more of the cancer screening tests they needed when encouraged and assisted by trained "care managers" who contacted them by phone, researchers report in Annals of Internal Medicine (2006;144:563-571). This patient navigator-like approach is a promising strategy for increasing cancer screening among populations whose rates are lagging, they and other experts say.
http://caonline.amcancersoc.org
Obtaining Data on Patient Race, Ethnicity, and Primary Language in Health Care Organizations: Current Challenges and Proposed Solutions
(Health Services Research Volume 41 Page 1501 - August 2006)
Hospitals and HCOs with data from their own institutions may be more likely to look at disparities in care, design targeted programs to improve quality of care, and provide patient-centered care. Yet data collection is fragmented and incomplete within and across organizations. A major factor affecting the quality of data is the lack of understanding about how best to collect this information from patients.
See Full Article
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com
See Related Article
Overcoming Barriers to Collecting Data on Patient Race, Ethnicity, and Language
Latinos' cancer risks; Study discloses that absence of adequate screening costs many Hispanics early chance at beating a diagnosis
National statistics by the American Cancer Society indicated that Hispanics have lower cancer incidence and mortality rates when compared with whites but are more likely to die from the disease because often they are diagnosed at a later stage. The statistics are similar to other recently released cancer data that show Hispanics are less likely to be screened for breast, cervical, prostate, colon and rectal cancers.
https://lion.nci.nih.gov
Eight Americas: Investigating Mortality Disparities across Races, Counties, and Race-Counties in the United States
(PLOS Medicine Volume 3 Issue 9 E260 - September 2006)
It has been recognized for a long time that the number of years that people in the United States can expect to live ("life expectancy") varies enormously. For example, white Americans tend to live longer than black Americans, and life expectancy is much greater in some of the roughly 3,000 counties of the US than it is in others. However, there is a lack of information and understanding on how big a part is played in "health inequalities" by specific diseases and injuries, by risk factors (such as tobacco, alcohol, and obesity), and by variations in access to effective health care.
See Full Article
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov
Funding, Training, and Employment Opportunities
Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-015.html
Establishing Exploratory NCMHD Research Centers of Excellence (P20)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MD-06-003.html
Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD)(R25
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-06-553.html
The Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy
The Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship Program in Minority Health Policy is designed to create physician-leaders who will pursue careers in minority health and health policy.
http://www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu
San Francisco State University searching for a Health Equity Initiatives (HEI) Professor of Biology
For more information contact the San Francisco State University Department of Biology at (415) 338-3289 phone or email marquez@sfsu.edu
Cancer Guides: The only comprehensive training in integrative oncology
October 9-15, 2006
Bloomingdale, IL
http://www.cmbm.org/holistic_medicine_PROFESSIONAL_TRAINING_EDUCATION/cancer_guides.php
Upcoming Meeting and Events
The Third Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference, Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future
October 4-6, 2006
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
North Bethesda, MD
http://www.blsmeetings.net/Survivorship06/gen.htm
13th Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association Conference: "Medicine: A Call to Service"
October 6-8, 2006
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bethesda, MD
http://www.apamsa.org/2006conference/
The Fifth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations: Building the Essential Link between Quality, Cultural Competence, and Disparities Reduction
October 17-20, 2006
Seattle, Washington
http://www.diversityrx.org/CCCONF/06/index.html
NIH Conference on Understanding and Reducing Disparities in Health: Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Contributions
October 23-24, 2006
Natcher Conference Center
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
http://obssr.od.nih.gov/HealthDisparities/index.html
American Public Health Association (APHA) 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition
November 4-8, 2006
Boston, MA
http://www.apha.org/meetings/
Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research
November 12-15, 2006
Boston, MA
The program features a wide variety of exciting topics, including Genetic Susceptibility, Cancer Screening and Population-based Studies. One session will focus on Health Disparities and Cancer Prevention.
http://www.aacr.org/default.aspx?p=7166
National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Annual Conference and Minority and Multicultural Conference
May 14-18, 2007
Anchorage, AK
A limited number of scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis for students and community members
to attend the conference. Please download and complete the scholarship application.
Application Deadline: March 15, 2007
http://www.nrharural.org
Society for Prevention Research 15th Annual Meeting - “Advancing Science-Based Prevention: Creating Real World Solutions”
May 30-June 1, 2007
Hyatt Regency Washington
Washington, DC
The program includes special themes such as “Community-based participatory research”
and “The role of culture, ethnicity and health disparities in conducting
prevention research in real world settings.”
http://www.preventionresearch.org