Greetings Colleagues,

On behalf of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer III: Community Networks Program (NBLIC III), I would like to invite you to participate in "Health Disparities Symposium on Cancer: Addressing the Issues" scheduled for September 20-22, 2009 at the Marriott Atlanta Downtown in Atlanta, Georgia.  Join us, as public health practitioners, academia, faith-based leaders and community-based organizations gather to exchange information and foster alliances that positively will affect cancer health outcomes in the African-American community.

African Americans continue to be disproportionately impacted by cancer.  Each day, 3,400 people in America are diagnosed with cancer and another 1,500 die of the disease.  But the burden of cancer is undeniably greater for poor, ethnic minorities, and the uninsured than for the general population.  When addressing the needs of these medically underserved populations, the term "health disparities" is often used.  The National Cancer Institute defines cancer health disparities as the differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States.  Risk factors that account for these health disparities include the lack of access to care, cultural incompetence of health-care providers, inadequate health care and lack of African-American participation in clinical trials.

The symposium has a two-fold purpose.  It will create strategies that will address the issues of cancer health disparities among African Americans and it will help to forge collaborations needed to address cancer disparities.  Co-sponsors for the symposium include the Southeast Region Cancer Information Center and the North Carolina Community Coalition for Cancer Awareness.

There is a $125 registration fee to attend the symposium.  Pre-registration is required because of limited space.  On-site registration is $150.  Please complete the registration form by September 1, 2009 and return it to the NBLIC III Southern Regional Office.  Your pre-registration covers the cost of your conference materials and meals.  For your convenience, lodging information and the program agenda is provided on this site.

For further information regarding the agenda, registration, logistics and vending opportunities, please contact Jackson Smith via e-mail at jsmith@msm.edu or via fax at (404) 756-5295.

Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Joyce Sheats, BSN, MPH
Project Director