Health Equity and Disparities Research
Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University
Making Health Disparity Priorities Real.
A “war” was declared against cancer in the 1970s. The current battlefront is cancer disparities – the disproportionate burden of cancer in racial/ethnic and other underserved populations. My research aims to develop and test potential solutions to ameliorate disparities. At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) we address disparities head-on. VCU is home to the NCI-designated Massey Cancer Center. Massey has a long history of community engagement and expanded this mission by hiring me as the inaugural Associate Director for Cancer Disparities Research. I established the Massey Office of Health Equity and Disparities Research to prioritize disparities efforts. A driving force behind our work is the conviction that every life matters. VCUhealth is a safety-net system so we have a unique opportunity to engage diverse populations to improve health. As the Chair of the Department of Health Behavior and Policy in the VCU School of Medicine, I link researchers and community members to our students - the next generation of thought leaders. These bi-directional exchanges are central to identify innovative solutions to tackle disparities. Our vision is to support the right of all individuals to be healthy by building a national collaborative model that accelerates improvements in disparate outcomes.