The American Cancer Society’s 2009 Disparities Conference

The Office of Health Disparities of the American Cancer Society is pleased to present its third conference on health disparities, Health Equity: Through the Cancer Lens. This year we move beyond description to action. By combining research and practice and the academy and community, we will focus on what we know works from the perspective of advocacy, community intervention and communication. Our keynote speakers will discuss how we use research to effect change and we’ll hear from members of the community who have actually achieved change in cancer incidence, risk behavior and survivorship. Visit the conference web site at www.TheCancerLens.org.

We will debunk the notion of the hard-to-reach and set our sights on the hardly-reached by looking at how health messaging needs to be crafted and delivered to reach those who need it most. In certain communities, disparities in mammography and colonoscopy have been eliminated. Join us to see how that was achieved and how these practices can be replicated across the US. And, we will hear from leading policy voices on how we can achieve systems change in order to reduce barriers to cancer prevention, treatment and life-saving information.

This year’s conference will have a number of unusual features. We will invite participants to blog about their meeting experience and insights. Our conference website will serve as an opportunity for researchers, practitioners and community members to share best practices and to report on their successes and challenges. We will unveil how the personal narrative and video technology have been used to communicate health messaging and change health behavior. And, this year features a unique collaboration with the National Medical Association. Read more and register. Then meet us in Las Vegas on July 28th to achieve Health Equity: Through the Cancer Lens.