Science of Cancer Health Disparities
October 18-21, 2026
Hilton Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Cancer survivors and advocates are important members of the research community and valuable participants at the 19th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities. We are honored to welcome 15 patient advocates as speakers throughout the program, bringing a powerful collective voice that ensures patients remain at the heart of every conversation.
The following is a brief overview of the opportunities available to cancer survivors and patient advocates at the conference.
Welcome and Opening Session
Sunday, October 18 | 3:30pm – 6pm
Patient Advocate Keynote
Michael H. Hu, Patient Advocate, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ADVOCATE Posters
Patient advocates are invited to present posters on initiatives and programs implemented to help reduce cancer health disparities.
Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 7pm – 8:30pm
Monday, October 19, 2026 | 7pm – 8:30pm
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 7pm – 8:30pm
Breakfast networking roundtables
The Networking Roundtables at the AACR Conference on Cancer Health Disparities will bring together researchers, clinicians, advocates, and community leaders to share strategies for effective community outreach and engagement. Table will be hosted by a patient advocate.
Nicole Bullock, Nicole Cares Foundation, Lansing, Illinois
Wenora Johnson, FORCE: Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered, Tampa, Florida
Denisha Brown, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Patient Advocacy Lounge
Located in Room 223, the AACR Patient Advocacy Lounge provides an opportunity to connect with patient advocates who attended the meeting. This meeting space is open to all patient advocates who attend the conference.
Monday, October 19, 2026 | 10am – 5pm
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 10am – 5pm
Patient Advocate Roundtable: What Can We Do to Advance Equitable Screening and Early Detection?
Monday, October 19, 2026 – lunch will be served at 12:00pm
12:15pm – 1:15pm ET | Hilton Atlanta | Room 223
Patient Advocate Roundtable: Finding Cancer Earlier: Building Trust and Expanding Access to Early Detection
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 – lunch will be served at 11:45am
12:00pm – 1:00pm ET | Hilton Atlanta | Room 223
Special Session 2: Charting the Path Forward: Lessons and Next Steps from the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report
Monday, October 19, 2026 | 5:00pm – 6:15pm
Moderator: Mariana Stern, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, California
Community Outreach and Engagement in Translational Research: The Cancer Health Disparities SPORE Network
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Session Chair: Scarlett L. Gomez, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California and Whitney Steward, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
Patient Advocate Speakers
Michael Hu, Independent Advocate, Philadelphia, PA
Ysabel Duron, The Latino Cancer Institute, San Jose, CA
Keeshia Jones, After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Milwaukee, WI
Virgil Simons, The Prostate Net, Hackensack, NJ
Rhonda Holbert, Celebrate Life Cancer Ministry, Hawthorne, CA
Alejandro Valdez, Wounded Warrior Project, Pico Rivera, California
Lashelle Scott, Independent Advocate, Houston, TX
Maimah Karmo, Tigerlily Foundation, Stone Ridge, VA
Irving Robinson, Patient Advocate, Jacksonville, FL
Tatiana Tate, Chemo Divas Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Stephanie A. Wynn, Patient Advocate, Tampa, FL
Tamika Felder, Cervivor, Inc, Upper Marlboro, MD
Lisa Simms Booth, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Washington, DC
Kimberly Richardson, Black Cancer Collaborative, Chicago, IL
Tiah Tomlin, My Style Matters, Atlanta, GA
CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES ADVOCACY SUPPORTER
The AACR gratefully acknowledges the following supporter.
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