Health equity is a challenge in our community for a variety of reasons. From access to education to research, there are many opinions about what should be done and what needs to be fixed. The American Cancer Society has launched a new initiative, VOICES of Black Women. They call this more than research and are calling on Black women from all walks of life to join this movement and change the future of health in our communities for generations to come. The initiative’s principal investigator, Dr. Lauren McCullough, also joins us to discuss this new program.
When I asked McCullough why the initiative was called VOICES, she said it was a long-term research study aimed at understanding why black women are more likely to die from a cancer diagnosis. Explained. Successful research requires not only long-term studies but also large-scale studies. McCullough and her team hope the results will provide knowledge to the medical field.
McCullough addresses some of the historical challenges that can hold our communities back from medical research. For decades, most medical research has only looked at white men, and the results have been limited to white men. For medical research to be culturally relevant, it must include racial and gender diversity. McCullough emphasizes that another aspect of the research is actually listening to the voices of Black women. We know our bodies better than anyone else. McCullough went on to share that 80% of the researchers participating in this effort are Black women.
Registration is accepted in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Masu. , D.C.
Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 are encouraged to participate. McCullough explains the process once you visit the site. Voices She talks about some of the risk factors in cancer diagnosis, including environmental risks such as BIO-LAB fires. McCullough talks about his career in cancer research and how he became a scientist.
Click here for more information about VOICE
To participate in the VOICES survey
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