The University of Illinois Cancer Center was honored to sponsor and partner two events focused on cancer survivorship and health equity June 14-15.
Cancer Survivorship Month
The Cancer Center hosted the survivorship event, Surviving and Thriving: Opportunities to Give Back and Get Back, at the UI Health Mile Square Health Center because June is National Cancer Survivorship Month. At the June 15 event, people shared their stories, connected and celebrated with other survivors and their families. They also participated in two panel discussions presented in English and Spanish. The first was survivors speaking on their experience working with advocacy and cancer organizations, and the second was focused on survivors doing work (both paid and unpaid) with research and participating in clinical trials. At the event, community and survivor organizations also shared information and survivors learned about networking opportunities. Those organizations included Cancer Support Team, Elevated Survivorship, ELLAS, Gilda’s Club Chicago, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, Peer Plus, ROW Recovery on Water and Triage Cancer.
Health Equity Summit
Wellness House, in partnership with the Cancer Center, hosted the Stronger Together Cancer Health Equity Summit to discuss health equity and diversity across clinical trials.The June 14 event for cancer health professionals focused on fostering education, collaboration and generating solutions to address local disparities in cancer care featured keynote speaker Otis W. Brawley, MD, MACP, FRCP(L), FASCO, FACE, the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Other speakers included UI Health Oncology Service Line Medical Director and Cancer Center member Kent Hoskins, MD; Cancer Center Director of Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Clinical Programs Pamela Ganschow, MD; Yasmin Asvat, PhD, from Rush University; and Nita Lee, MD, MPH, the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Associate Director.
