The American Cancer Society and Pfizer Launch Community Grants Focused on Reducing Prostate Cancer Disparities Among Black Men

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Mar 03, 2021, 08:00 ET

ATLANTA, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society and Pfizer Global Medical Grants are collaborating and have awarded a new competitive grant opportunity focused on addressing prostate cancer disparities impacting Black men.

The grants, funded by Pfizer Global Medical Grants and overseen by the American Cancer Society, are aimed at reducing gaps in care and barriers to treatment, and were awarded through a competitive selection process.

Cancer is a disease that affects everyone, but it doesn't affect everyone equally. Blacks experience more illness, worse outcomes, and premature death compared to whites in the United States. Further, Black people have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial/ethnic group in the United States for most cancers. Black men also have the highest overall cancer incidence.

"Inclusion and equity are critical to our mission and reducing cancer disparities by race and ethnicity is an overarching goal of the American Cancer Society," said Dr. Laura Makaroff, senior vice president, Prevention and Early Detection for The American Cancer Society. "We need to make sure everyone has the ability to benefit from the advances in research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. These grants are an important step in advancing health equity."

Many factors significantly impact a person's ability to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. Factors like a person's income, education, their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, their disability status, or where they live, work, and play can affect the choices a person makes, but more importantly can affect a person's opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

"Despite breakthrough progress in treating prostate cancer overall, Black men living with the disease today face significant barriers to receiving optimal care," said, Dany Habr, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer Oncology. "We are proud to partner with the American Cancer Society and the cancer community on this initiative, and we are committed to continuing to advance health equity and reduce healthcare disparities. We look forward to seeing the impact the awarded projects can deliver in working toward this goal."

In a highly competitive process, each applicant was asked to provide solutions to local problems across the cancer continuum.

The awardees chosen for funding are:
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts
Central Florida Pharmacy Council in Florida
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Emory University in Massachusetts and Georgia
Henry Ford Health System in Michigan
Mary's Center in Washington D.C.
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Pennsylvania

SOURCE American Cancer Society