University of Illinois Cancer Center community partner Advocates for Community Wellness hosted the “E3 to End Cancer: (Empower, Eliminate and Equip) Outreach, Advocacy and Wellness Summit,” and the Cancer Center was honored to have two speakers at the event.
Deborah Manst, MD, MPH, a Cancer Center Oncogeneralist who is part of the UI Health Prevention and Survivorship Program, was the keynote speaker and Cancer Center member Ameen Salahudeen, MD, PhD, a UI Health Oncologist, was part of a panel discussion.
Patients with cancer, survivors, caregivers, family, friends and community members attended the September summit, which focused on outreach, empowerment, health education and resource support.
Manst’s keynote address was “Holistic Approaches to Prevention, Treatment and Survivorship,” while topics for Salahudeen’s panel discussion included environmental factors and cancer, Black women and breast cancer and support for cancer survivors and caregivers.
Other connections between the Cancer Center and Advocates for Community Wellness include the group being named as part of the inaugural 2023 Cancer Center Hope Leaders program, which pairs community partners and cancer biologists to build genuine bidirectional relationships between scientists and communities.
Advocates for Community Wellness is a faith-based health promotion and disease prevention ministry. They are a grassroots, health advocacy group comprised of health professionals such as nutritionists, culinary arts enthusiasts, health educators, fitness trainers, nurses, healthcare providers and individuals who have a genuine interests in better health and wellbeing. Since 2003, they have served communities in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area.