In This Section

Program

Notes:

  • All session times for the AACR Virtual Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities are U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
  • Poster presentations will be available throughout the meeting as an on-demand session beginning at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, October 2.

Friday, October 2, 2020

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Friday, October 2

Opening Session
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Welcome Remarks

Advocate Video

Minorities in Cancer Research 20th Anniversary                                               
John D. Carpten, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Distinguished Lecture Series

Optimizing engagement to reduce disparities among Hispanic/Latinos/Latinx and other underserved communities
Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Keynote Address
Title to be announced
Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Opening Session Panel
Moderator: Robert Winn, VCU Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, Virginia

Panelists:
Patricia LoRusso, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
Clayton Yates, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
Chanita Hughes-Halbert, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, South Carolina
Brian Rivers, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
Mariana Stern, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Break
12-12:15 p.m.
Concurrent Session 1: Progress in Impact of Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials
Session Cochairs: Worta McCaskill-Stevens, National Cancer Institute,  
Bethesda, Maryland; Martin Mendoza, Office of Minority Health, Rockville, Maryland
12:15-1:45 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Clinical trial diversity: A perspective from the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
Rear Admiral Richardae Araojo, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Associate Commissioner for Minority Health, Silver Spring, Maryland

Diversity in clinical research participation an equity imperative
Nadine J. Barrett, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, North Carolina

Achieving diversity and inclusion in clinical research: Critical role of community partnerships and collaborations
Luther T. Clark, Merck & Co., Rahway, New Jersey

How a person can use their privilege to help end disparities
Julia Maues, GRASP Cancer, Washington, D.C.

Addressing racial health care disparities by advancing inclusive research
Melissa S. Gonzales, Genentech, South San Francisco, California
(Not eligible for CME credit)

Concurrent Session 2: Health Care Policy in Advancing Cancer Health Equity
Session Cochairs: Brian M. Rivers, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Karen M. Winkfield, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
12:15 p.m.- 1:45 p.m.   
CHANNEL 2

Congressional perspective on addressing cancer health disparities
Raul Ruiz, U.S. Representative, California’s 36th District

Re-examining the interplay between structure, cancer, and cancer health policy
Robert A. Winn, VCU Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, Virginia

Racial and ethnic underrepresentation in clinical trials: Immediate action is an imperative
Lola Fashoyin-Aje, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland

How patient advocates can advance cancer health equity: Tales from the frontlines  
Lisa Laudico, SHARE Cancer Support: Our MBC Life Podcast, Westport, Connecticut

Break
1:45-2 p.m.   
Concurrent Session 3: Disparities in Cancer Risk and Treatment among the LGBTQ Population
Session Cochairs: Jesse Ehrenfeld, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Matthew R. Schabath, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
2-3:30 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

The Prevent Anal Cancer Study: The assessment of novel opportunities for anal cancer screening during COVID-19
Alan Nyitray, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Improving cultural humility training for oncology clinicians
Gwendolyn P. Quinn, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York

Cancer in LGBT populations: Differences, disparities, and strategies for change
Kellen Baker, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland

Concurrent Session 4: From Bench to Bedside to Community: Using Race/Ethnic-Appropriate Models in Precision Medicine
Session Chair: Luis Carvajal-Carmona, University of California Davis, Davis, California
2-3:30 p.m.
CHANNEL 2

Engaging all patients in translational research
Bodour Salhia, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, California

Advancing gastric cancer precision medicine through minority patient-derived modeling
Luis Carvajal-Carmona 

Development of novel models and identification of therapeutic vulnerabilities in highly aggressive prostate cancer In African American men
Salma Kaochar, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

Break
3:30-3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Hot Topics in Cancer Health Disparities 1
Session Chair: Gerardo Colón-Otero, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Jacksonville, Florida
3:45-5 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Breast cancer in Ghana: A study of the characteristics of breast cancers
reported nationally from 2018 to 2020*
Kafui Akakpo, Pathologist Without Borders, Accra, Ghana

Improving monitoring and treatment adherence among underserved Asian Americans with chronic hepatitis B through a patient navigator-led intervention*
Grace Ma, Center for Asian Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Racial and health care access disparities in palliative care receipt among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: An analysis of the 2016 National Cancer Database*
Jessica Islam, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Low-income minorities and immigrants are priority targets in late-stage
hepatocellular carcinoma hotspots*
Kali Zhou, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Epigenetic disruption of vitamin D receptor signaling in African American prostate cancer alters circadian signaling networks*
Moray Campbell, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Concurrent Hot Topics in Cancer Health Disparities 2
Session Chair: Lisa A. Newman, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
3:45-5 p.m.
CHANNEL 2

Different places, same problems: Tales of Deep South and Midwestern young
African American breast cancer survivorship care*
Timiya Nolan, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Impact of race on the uterine microbiome in women with early-stage endometrial cancer*
Gabrielle Hawkins, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

African-centric p53 hypomorphs play significant roles in cancer risk and efficacy of therapy*
Maureen Murphy, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

HT Helper: mHealth app to promote hormone therapy adherence among breast cancer patients*
Patricia Chalela, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Multi-omic disparities in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in patients of different racio-ethnic backgrounds*
Hugh J. Kim, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada

Saturday, October 3

Plenary Session 1: Trans-disciplinary Convergence Approaches to Cancer Health Disparities Research
Session Cochairs: Chanita Hughes-Halbert, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, South Carolina; Robert A. Winn, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
10-11:30 a.m.
CHANNEL 1

Lung cancer risk assessment in diverse populations: One size cannot fit all
Patrick Nana-Sinkam, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Lung cancer screening: A public health benefit that may deepen the divide
Nichole T. Tanner, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Hard truths on the road to knowledge: The challenges and triumphs of transdisciplinary health equity research
Christopher Lathan, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Break
11:30-11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Session 5: Prevention, Screening, and Surveillance in the Adolescent Young Adult Cancer Population
Session Cochairs: Kimberly J. Johnson, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; Jun J. Yang, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Genetic risk for subsequent breast cancer among female survivors of childhood cancer
Zhaoming Wang, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

Second cancers and survival in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors
Theresa Keegan, University of California Davis, Davis, California

Addressing gaps in health insurance literacy among adolescent and young adult cancer patients
Anne Kirchhoff, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah

Understanding causes of inferior survival in adolescent and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Smita Bhatia, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama

Concurrent Session 6: Biology of Cancer Disparities and Potential Impact on Precision Oncology in Diverse Populations
Session Cochairs: Camille Ragin, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Clayton C. Yates, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
11:45 a.m.- 1:15 p.m.
CHANNEL 2

Cadmium exposure, DNA methylation, and liver cancer
Catherine Hoyo, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Biology of aggressive breast cancer in women of African descent
Tomi Akinyemiju, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

Black Lives Matter worldwide: Retooling precision oncology for true equity of cancer care
Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois

Break
1:15-1:30 p.m.
Concurrent Session 7: Cancer Clinical Trial Inclusion and Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities
Session Cochairs: Windy Dean-Colomb, Our Lady of Lourdes JD Moncus Cancer Center, Lafayette, Louisiana; Lewis R. Roberts, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
1:30 p.m.- 3 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Learning from and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in cancer clinical trials: The ECOG-ACRIN experience
Joseph A. Sparano, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York

A survivor perspective: The imperative to act on what we know
Dicey Scroggins, International Gynecologic Cancer Society, Pinkie Huggs, LLC, Washington, D.C.

Addressing cancer disparity from a global perspective: Increasing participation of African descendants in trans-national clinical trials 
Windy Dean-Colomb

Concurrent Session 8: Addressing Disparities in Survivorship- Supportive, Palliative, and End-of-Life Care
Session Cochairs: Kimlin T. Ashing, City of Hope, Duarte, California; Diana J. Wilkie, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
1:30-3 p.m.
CHANNEL 2

Structural inequities, social determinants, and survivorship: Opportunities and strategies to advance health equity
Kassandra I. Alcaraz, Georgia State University School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia

Addressing psychosocial health disparities among Latina breast cancer survivors
Anna Napoles, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, Maryland

Effects of a pandemic on end-of-life decision making in African Americans
Tammie Quest, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

African Americans disparities in palliative and end-of-life care
Rhonda Smith, California Black Health Network, Los Angeles, California

Break
3-3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Hot Topics in Cancer Health Disparities 3
Session Chair: John D. Carpten, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
3:15-4:30 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Cause-and-effect relationships between glycation and the ancestry-specific tumor stroma*
Courtney Lloyd, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Dynamic clustering of cancer genomics datasets beyond pre-defined human categories*
Hussein Mohsen, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Multilevel pathways of colorectal cancer screening among low-income Vietnamese Americans: A structural equation modeling analysis*
Grace Ma, Center for Asian Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mutational landscape of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in patients with genome-defined African ancestry*
Michelle Lee, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia

CanSplice: A user-friendly web application for analysis of genomic datasets by race and ethnicity*
Muthana Al Abo, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, North Carolina

Concurrent Hot Topics in Cancer Health Disparities 4
Session Chair: Marcia Cruz-Correa, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico
3:15-4:30 p.m.
CHANNEL 2

All-cause and cause-specific mortality among Medicaid-insured women with preexisting type 2 diabetes diagnosed with breast cancer: A cancer registry-Medicaid linkage*
Wayne Lawrence, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland

Metabolic rewiring in African-American prostate cancer: A role of adenosine-inosine axis*
Christy Charles, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

The immune landscape of prostate cancer in African American patients is skewed towards inhibitory signatures relative to Caucasian American patients*
Dennis Adeegbe, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida

Interrogating the molecular profile of solid tumors in Puerto Rican Hispanics: Defining actionable mutations and drivers of carcinogenesis*
Camila Rivera Lynch, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Work outcomes, financial distress, and health-related quality of life among African American cancer survivors*
Theresa Hastert, Wayne State University/Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, Michigan

Minorities in Cancer Research Professional Advancement Session
Zoom Webinar
5:30-7 p.m.

Information to be announced

Sunday, October 4

Concurrent Session 9: Understanding the Role of Cancer Immunology and the Tumor Microenvironment in Cancer Health Disparities
Session Cochairs: Melissa B. Davis, Weill Cornell, New York, New York; Luis A. Diaz, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
10-11:30 a.m.
CHANNEL 1

The immunogenomic landscape of primary prostate cancer in African American men
Tamara Lotan, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Distinct heterogeneous subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer associated with African ancestry
Melissa B. Davis

Novel biological insights into colorectal cancer from West Africa
T. Peter Kingham, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York

Concurrent Session 10: Opportunities and Challenges in Global Cancer Disparities Research
Session Cochairs: Folakemi T. Odedina, University of Florida, Orlando, Florida; Gilberto de Lima Lopes, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
10-11:30 a.m.
CHANNEL 2

Cancer disparity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and opportunities
Abubakar Bello, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria

Disparities in cancer clinical trials: The Caribbean perspective
Gilian Wharfe, University of the West Indies at Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

A perspective on global cancer disparities from the NCI Center for Global Health
Satish Gopal, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland

Discrepancies in accessing clinical trials in Africa
Delva Shamley, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Break
11:30-11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Session 11: Advanced Molecular Technologies in Cancer Disparities Discovery Research
Session Cochairs: John D. Carpten, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Jelani C. Zarif, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Single-cell comparative biology of human and mouse prostate cancer
Vasan Yegnasubramanian, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

Novel approaches for assessing molecular heterogeneity in cancer
Lee Gibbs, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Advances in molecular characterization of multiple myeloma and its precursor states
Mark W. Bustoros, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Concurrent Session 12: Disparities in Cancer Outcomes: Biology, Access, and Equity
Session Chair: Timothy R. Rebbeck, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
CHANNEL 2

Biological and social influences on disparities in prostate cancer mortality
Timothy R. Rebbeck

Equity and access: Looking upstream to make lasting improvements in cancer outcomes
Sandi L. Pruitt, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Genomics contributors to tumor subtypes in African American prostate and breast cancer patients
Clayton C. Yates, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama

Break
1:15-1:30 p.m.
Plenary Session 2: Innovation in Growing a Diverse Workforce in Cancer Research
Session Cochairs: Sanya A. Springfield, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland; Alison Lin, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
1:30-3 p.m.
CHANNEL 1

Overcoming barriers and defining success: Diversity inclusion and belonging in the healthcare workforce
Joan Y. Reede, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Alden Landry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Engagement with Native American communicites
Maurice Godfrey, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska

New perspectives on training complex communication
Frederick Kron, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Minorities in Cancer Health Disparities Town Hall
3:15-5:15 p.m.
Zoom Webinar

Information to be announced

*Short talk from proffered abstract