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Health Disparities Timeline

Below is a timeline of important events and reports occurring in cancer health disparities at NCI. For more information about reports and publications on health disparities, please visit our Background Literature page.

1973 Henschke UK, et al. publishes Alarming Increase of Cancer Mortality in the U.S. Black Population (1950-1967).  
1985 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services releases the Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health. Cover of 'Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black Minority Health'
1986 Inception of Leadership Initiatives by National Cancer Advisory Board.
1989 NCI founds the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer.
1992 NCI establishes the National Hispanic Leadership Initiative and Appalachian Leadership Initiative on Cancer.
1994 NCAB evaluation of National Cancer Program states significant barrier to success against cancer is lack of access to effective cancer care and education among the poor and other specific populations. Cover of 'Appalachian Leadership Initiative on Cancer'
1995 NCI establishes the Office of Special Population Research.
1999 Institute of Medicine releases The Unequal Burden of Cancer, and the President's Cancer Panel issued Discovery Must Be Linked to Delivery. Cover of President's Cancer Panel
2000 NCI establishes 18 Special Populations Networks (SPNs).
2000 NCI drafts a five-year strategic plan focused on reducing cancer-related health disparities.
2000 NCI identifies reducing cancer-related health disparities a new challenge in the FY2002 Bypass Budget.
2001 NCI Director elevates and expands the Office of Special Populations Research to Center status and appoints Dr. Harold Freeman as Director-cancer health disparities are a high priority.
2001 President's Cancer Panel issues Voices of a Broken System: Real People, Real Problems. Cover of 'Voices of a Broken System: Real People, Real Problems'
2001 NCI establishes the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD).
2003 Institute of Medicine issues Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare. Cover of 'Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare'
2003 NCI Director further elevates focus on cancer health disparities by challenging NCI to eliminate suffering and death due to cancer by 2015.
2004 Trans-HHS Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group issues Making Cancer Health Disparities History.
2005 NCI establishes 25 Community Networks Programs, building on the Special Populations Networks.
2005 NCI creates the Patient Navigation Research Program.
2007 NCI's Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Program celebrates its 10th Anniversary. More about CURE

Milestones in Cancer Health Disparities