CRCHD Establishes Team of Cancer Equity Leaders
The National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) earlier this year announced the Cancer Equity Leaders (CEL), a diverse team to reimagine and transform the future of cancer health equity.
The group will work toward three objectives:
- Assess the landscape to elucidate critical strengths and gaps in cancer equity infrastructure.
- Prioritize the critical needs for expanding institutional capacity and achieving cancer health equity.
- Develop a strategic agenda to enhance the National Cancer Plan.
CEL, which will help CRCHD determine NCI’s diversity training, biomedical workforce development and community outreach and engagement initiatives, consists of 13 renowned cancer center and medical school leaders who have extensive expertise in all stages of the cancer continuum.
In 2025, the CEL team plans to host an event to hear and learn diverse perspectives across the cancer community to further advance NCI’s health equity efforts.
The initiative will be co-chaired by CRCHD Director Dr. Sanya Springfield and Dr. Karen Winkfield, executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance and associate director for community outreach & engagement at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
CEL includes
Dr. John Carpten, director, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center; director, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope; and chief scientific officer, Irell and Manella Cancer Center director’s distinguished chair
Dr. Marcia Cruz-Correa, professor of medicine and biochemistry, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus; and investigator, UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Chanita Hughes-Halbert, vice chair for research; Dr. Arthur and Priscilla Ulene chair in women’s cancer, Keck School of Medicine; and associate director for cancer equity, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California
Dr. Juanita Merchant, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology; associate director for basic science; and interim director, UA Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson
Dr. Ruben Mesa, president, Atrium Health Levine Cancer; executive director, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center; and vice dean for Cancer Programs, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and chief executive officer, Morehouse School of Medicine
Dr. Kunle Odunsi, director, University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center; dean for oncology, AbbVie Foundation distinguished service professor, University of Chicago
Dr. Taofeek Owonikoko, director, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center; senior associate dean for cancer programs, University of Maryland School of Medicine; and associate vice president for cancer programs, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Dr. Ben Ho Park, director, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; Benjamin F. Byrd, Jr. chair in oncology; and professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Yolanda Sanchez, Maurice and Marguerite Liberman distinguished chair in cancer research; professor, department of internal medicine; and director and CEO, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Selwyn Vickers, president and CEO, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Cheryl Willman, Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Enterprise executive director, Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs; director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center; and professor and consultant, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Dr. Robert Winn, director and Lipman chair in oncology, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center; senior associate dean for cancer innovation; and professor of pulmonary disease and critical care medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine