October Conference to Focus on Cancer Disparities in Latino Population

A s part of its ongoing mission to probe the reasons behind cancer disparities, The George Washington University Cancer Institute (GWCI) will sponsor the continuing education conference "Latino Cancer Disparities Conference: Closing the Gap" on October 31, 2005 , on GW's campus in Washington , DC .

The Hispanic/Latino population is the fastest growing demographic group in the United States , yet the healthcare challenges faced by this group are just beginning to be investigated. Nevertheless, data are rapidly accumulating indicating that significant disparities exist in the incidence of certain cancers, in access to quality healthcare, in treatment and in outcomes.

This conference will address these problems by critically assessing cancer epidemiology and demographics; clinical issues of age and stage at diagnosis; risk factors; cultural, socioeconomic and language barriers to successful cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment; psychosocial aspects of interventional education and patient navigation; and public policy issues.

The conference will address the "Healthy People 2010" focus areas of cancer, educational and communitybased programs, and tobacco use. Topics include cancer public health research, education and policy development in managed care with the goal of addressing how to close the cancer gap in the Hispanic/Latino community.

The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the GW campus at the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Conference Center , 800 21st Street in NW Washington, DC.

The invited keynote speakers are Jenny Romero, MD, from the Ralph Lauren Center and Elena Rios, MD, MSPH from the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA).

As president of the NHMA, Dr. Rios represents the interests of Hispanic physicians in the United States. She sits on the board of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and co-chairs the Hispanic Health Coalition.

Dr. Rios was appointed by former Health & Human Services secretary Donna Shalala to the advisory panel on Medicare education. She also serves as CEO of Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools Inc., an organization dedicated to improving health care for Hispanic patients.

Dr. Rios received her bachelor’s degree in Human Biology and Public Administration from Stanford University, her master’s degree in Health Planning and Policy Analysis from the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health and her medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine.

For more information visit: http://www.cancerdisparityconference.info