Chicago universities to host community forum on city’s cancer inequities

The Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative (ChicagoCHEC), a National Cancer Institute-funded initiative to reduce cancer disparities in Chicago’s low-income neighborhoods, will provide a detailed look at the ongoing work of the ChicagoCHEC partnership, which is led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University and Northwestern University, during a community forum on Sept. 21.

2017 ChicagoCHEC community symposium (Photo: ChicagoCHEC)

WHEN:

Sept. 21
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE:

Kennedy-King College
Building U
740 W. 63rd St.
(Free parking on 63rd St. west of Halsted St.)

DETAILS:

According to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, low-income Chicago communities that are predominantly black or Latino face cancer death rates up to double the national average. ChicagoCHEC seeks to transform how community engagement and research is conducted to improve health equity.

The “Healing Together: From Surviving to Thriving” forum will feature a keynote address from Dr. Sonia Kupfer, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. Kupfer, who is engaged in community-based initiatives around colon cancer awareness and education, also serves as director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic and is co-director of the Comprehensive Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic.

The event will also include a town hall forum; workshops on cervical cancer and STEM-orientated opportunities for high school youth offered by ChicagoCHEC; updates from ChicagoCHEC researchers and students, including remarks and poster presentations; and panel discussions with leaders of community-based organizations, cancer survivors and caregivers.

2017 ChicagoCHEC community symposium (Photo: ChicagoCHEC)

During one panel, cancer survivors and caregivers will discuss their journeys, including how they have accessed services and how community organizations have supported them. A second panel will address connecting ChicagoCHEC-sponsored cancer-related research with communities.

Networking and resource opportunities to mobilize Chicago communities in the areas of cancer survivorship, prevention, health care access and delivery, research and clinical trials, community capacity building and cancer health education will also be offered.

ChicagoCHEC launched in 2015 with a $17 million federal grant from the National Cancer Institute, one of the National Institutes of Health. The community forum marks three years of progress.

The event is free to the public, and sessions and panels will be translated in English, Spanish and Cantonese. Sign language interpretation will be available during discussion panels. Visit chicagoCHEC.org to register.