CRCHD e-bulletin

CANCER DISPARITIES NEWS DIGEST (07.03.07)

In This Issue...

CRCHD Announcements

Job Vacancies for Health Scientist Administrators at CRCHD

If you are a talented, knowledgeable and motivated individual with experience in health sciences and want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization focused on reducing cancer health disparities, consider joining CRCHD. Three positions for Health Scientist Administrators will be opening in CRCHD beginning June 18, 2007. Open Period: Monday, June 18, 2007 to Friday, July 20, 2007
http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov

Cancer Health Disparities Summit 2007

"Catalyzing Trans-disciplinary Regional Partnerships to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities"
July 16-18, 2007
Bethesda North Marriott Conference Center and Hotel
Bethesda, MD
Everyone planning to attend must register by June 30.
http://crchd.cancer.gov/news/summit-2007.html

MICCP Workshop (closed meeting, by invitation only)

September 6-7, 2007
Natcher Building, NIH
Bethesda, MD
http://minorityopportunities.nci.nih.gov/institutions/miccp.html

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News from NCI, NIH, and other Federal Agencies

NCI Launches a Pilot of its Community Cancer Centers Program to Bring Quality Cancer Care to All

The pilot program will research new and enhanced ways to assist, educate, and better treat the needs of underserved populations -- including elderly, rural, inner-city, and low-income patients -- as well as racial and ethnic groups with unusually high cancer rates.

Two HHS Agencies Announce Final Rule for Medicare-like Rates for Health Care Services to American Indians and Alaska Natives

The Indian Health Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announce that the Department of Health and Human Services has published a regulation in the Federal Register on June 4, 2007, that will stretch available contract health service funds administered by the Indian Health Service, allowing the purchase of more health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
http://www.ihs.gov

New Web Site to Promote the Advancement of Women in Biomedical Research Careers

The NIH announces Women in Biomedical Careers, a new Web site that provides information about the recently created NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers. The Working Group was appointed by NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. to develop innovative strategies and tangible actions to promote the advancement of women in biomedical research.
http://womeninscience.nih.gov/

Environmental Protection Agency Launches New Chinese Website

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new consolidated Chinese-language Web site as part of its ongoing effort to provide environmental information in English, Spanish and Chinese. The site serves as a valuable tool in delivering important health and environmental information to the Chinese-speaking community.
http://www.epa.gov/chinese/

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Cancer News From the Field

Enhancing Practice

Race, Breast Cancer Subtypes, and Survival in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study

(JAMA. 2006;295:2492-2502)
Gene expression analysis has identified several breast cancer subtypes, including basal-like, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive/estrogen receptor negative (HER2+/ER–), luminal A, and luminal B.

See Full Article

http://jama.ama-assn.org

See Related Article

Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer Afflicts Blacks

Disparities in Health Care Are Driven by Where Minority Patients Seek Care

Many studies have documented that minority patients receive lower-quality health care than non-minority patients at the same medical facilities. Relatively few, however, have attempted to explain the source of racial and ethnic disparities in care.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org

Concentration and Quality of Hospitals That Care for Elderly Black Patients

(Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:1177-1182)
The reasons for racial differences in health care are not well known, but the characteristics of hospitals where people receive care may be an important factor in the quality of care that patients receive.

See Full Article

http://archinte.ama-assn.org

See Related Article

Study Examines Quality of Care at Hospitals Treating Disproportionate Number of Black Patients

Resident Physicians' Preparedness to Provide Cross-Cultural Care: Implications for Clinical Care and Medical Education Policy

In a national study of resident physicians in their final year of training, few residents reported feeling unprepared in a general sense to care for patients from racial and ethnic minorities and from diverse cultures.
http://www.cmwf.org

See Related Article

Report Examines Medical Students' Perceived Readiness To Treat Diverse Patients

Closing the Divide: How Medical Homes Promote Equity in Health Care: Results From The Commonwealth Fund 2006 Health Care Quality Survey

The Commonwealth Fund 2006 Health Care Quality Survey finds that when adults have health insurance coverage and a medical home—defined as a health care setting that provides patients with timely, well-organized care, and enhanced access to providers—racial and ethnic disparities in access and quality are reduced or even eliminated.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org

New Health Literacy Tutorial

Announcing a new health literacy tutorial developed by World Education with support from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine New England Region. Includes sections on: health literacy challenge, who the health literacy practitioners are, successful strategies and practices, and applying what you have learned. The tutorial clearly outlines the challenges and the role for health literacy practitioners.
http://www.healthliteracy.worlded.org

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Select Disparities-Related News Stories

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Releases Breast Cancer Mortality Report Revealing Injustice, Unfairness in Eight of U.S.'s Most-Affected Communities

The report reveals shocking racial disparities in breast cancer mortality rates, tremendous barriers that prevent low-income women from receiving care, and disturbing gaps in the implementation of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act that enable states to refuse treatment for women based on where they are screened.

See Full Report

http://cms.komen.org

See Related Articles

Sunburn Rates Rise for Minorities

Americans continued to risk skin cancer by getting sunburned, and a new study showed that African Americans and Hispanics are at greater risk.
http://www.miamiherald.com/299/story/125073.html

See CDC Report and Related Article

Black Women's Breast Cancer Survival Rates Lag

A new study suggests that black women aren't benefiting from recent progress against breast cancer. While survival rates for women diagnosed with the most advanced breast cancers has improved steadily since 1988, survival for blacks hasn't changed at all, according to a study presented Sunday, June 3, 2007 at the oncology conference in Chicago.
http://www.usatoday.com

See Related Articles

Did the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Turn Its Back on Black Men With Non-Approval of First-Ever Prostate Cancer Vaccine?

Black men in the United States die from prostate cancer at a rate 140% higher than men of any other racial or ethnic group. This is the largest racial disparity for any type of cancer.
http://www.blacknews.com

See Related Article

Prostate Therapy's Delay Sets Off a Fight

Mammograms Identify Only 20% Of Breast Cancer Cases In Japanese Women, Survey Says

Mammograms have identified only 20% of breast cancer cases among Japanese women, according to a survey recently released by the Japanese Breast Cancer Society.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=74680

See Related Article

Too Few Women Undergo Mammograms

Financial, Cultural Barriers Prevent Many Hispanic Women From Getting Mammograms in Texas

Hispanic women in Texas, hobbled by the twin issues of money and culture, are far less likely to get mammograms, state health officials say.
http://www.statesman.com

Conference Looks at Preventing Cancer

Health professionals converged at the Spanish-language conference, "Colores de Cancer" (Colors of Cancer) on June 9 to discuss strategies to prevent cancer among Latinos.
http://www.sbsun.com

Surviving Cancer Commands a Daily Attitude of Resilience

June 3, 2007 was the 20th anniversary of National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD). NCSD is the right time to remember those who give hope, promote screening and early detection and demonstrate courage, generosity and humility regardless of their personal situation.
http://www.omhrc.gov

Environmental Group Investigates Georgia Power Plants, High Cancer Death Rates in Predominately Minority County

Opponents of the expansion of nuclear reactors at a power plant in Burke County, Ga., have raised concern about the rate of cancer deaths in the area, which has a high rate of poverty and a large minority population.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org

See Full Report

Health Risks of Adding New Reactors to the Alvin Vogtle Nuclear Plant

See Related Article

Cancer Rate Near Vogtle Questioned

Diagnosed Breast Cancer Population in China Will Increase Substantially Through 2011

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, forecasts that the diagnosed breast cancer population in China will increase substantially.
http://www.prnewswire.com

Health Gap 'Widest in Retirement'

The health gap between the lowest and highest paid occupational groups widens in retirement, a study has suggested. A lifetime on a low wage physically ages a person eight years earlier than high earners, researchers found.
http://news.bbc.co.uk

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Funding, Training, and Employment Opportunities

Funding Opportunities

Office of Minority Health (OMH) Community Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities Demonstration Grant Program

The Community Partnerships Program is designed to support activities that address, and will subsequently eliminate, racial and ethnic health disparities through community-level activities that promote health, reduce risks, and increase access to and utilization of preventive health care and treatment services.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 11, 2007
http://www.omhrc.gov

OMH State Partnership Grant Program to Improve Minority Health

The State Partnership Program is designed to support activities that address, and will subsequently eliminate, racial and ethnic health disparities through community-level activities that promote health, reduce risks, and increase access to and utilization of preventive health care and treatment services.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 11, 2007
http://www.omhrc.gov

Advancing Novel Science in Women’s Health Research (ANSWHR) [R21] (PAS-07-381 and PAS-07-382)

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and co-sponsoring NIH institutes and centers (ICs), is to promote innovative, interdisciplinary research that will advance new concepts in women’s health research and the study of sex/gender differences.
Application Submission/Receipt Date(s): October 16, 2007; October 16, 2008, October 16, 2009 for new applications November 16, 2007; November 16 2008; November 16, 2009 for resubmission applications
PAS-07-381
PAS-07-382

Identifying and Reducing Diabetes and Obesity Related Health Disparities within Healthcare Systems (R01)

This FOA requests applications designed to identify or address factors or barriers that result in disparate outcomes within a healthcare system.
http://grants.nih.gov

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Training and Employment Opportunities

Ford Foundation Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowships

National Research Council of the National Academies offers Ford Foundation Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowships for research-based study in the sciences and the humanities. Direct questions to 202-334-2872 or infofell@nas.edu.
Application deadlines are in the late fall of each year.
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/fellowships/

Building Future Faculty Program

The North Carolina State University Building Future Faculty Program is a two-day all-expenses paid workshop for advanced graduate students and post-docs interested in pursuing academic careers. Its purpose is to increase the number of faculty from under-represented groups, both at NCSU and elsewhere.
Deadline: December 30, 2007
http://www.ncsu.edu/diversity

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Upcoming Meetings and Events

National Conference on Health Disparities

July 19, 2007
Charleston Marriott
Charleston, SC
http://guest.cvent.com

2007 CDC Cancer Conference: Meeting Future Challenges

August 13-16, 2007
Hyatt Regency
Atlanta, GA
http://cdccancerconference.net

Minority Women's Health Summit: "Addressing Disparities, Acknowledging Resilience, Providing Actions for Success"

August 23-26, 2007
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
http://www.4woman.gov/mwhs/

7th National Changing Patterns of Cancer in Native Communities: The Power of Partnerships

September 5-8, 2007
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, MN
http://www.mayoclinic.org/nativeprograms

4th Annual Asian American Health Conference: Leading the Way, Partnering for Change

September 28-29, 2007
NYU School of Medicine
New York, NY
http://www.med.nyu.edu

AACR - The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/ Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved

November 27 - 30, 2007
Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Atlanta, GA
Abstract Submission Deadline: September 17, 2007
http://www.aacr.org

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