U.S. Preventative Services Task Force Chairperson, Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo to Present at PHEN's 12th Annual African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit

BOSTON, Aug. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) has just announced that U.S. Preventative Task Force (USPSTF) Chairperson, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Ph.D, M.D., M.A.S. will address its Twelfth Annual "African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit," taking place on Thursday, September 15^th, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., at the United States Capitol Visitors Center, (Room HVC 201AB) and on Friday, September 16^th from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center (Room 144 C).

Dr. Bibbins-Domingo will provide some insight into the USPSTF's current process of updating its 2012 recommendation against PSA testing during the Summit session: "Prostate Cancer Early Detection PSA Testing – The Next Chapter," to be held on Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.  Other session presenters and panelists will provide their perspectives on data and new developments with emphasis on how this factors into PSA testing for African American and other prostate cancer high-risk populations. African-American men are 1.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than Caucasian men and 2.3 times more likely to die from the disease, according to recent statistics.

"PSA testing for the early detection of prostate cancer is one of the most visible and controversial medical issues of today," said Thomas A. Farrington, president, PHEN. "We are delighted that Dr. Bibbins-Domingo will join us with some insight into the USPSTF's current process of updating its recommendation."

Dr. Bibbins-Domingo is the Lee Goldman, MD, endowed chair in medicine and professor of medicine and of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is a general internist and attending physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital engaged in outpatient clinical activities, as well as the supervision of medical students and residents. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo has expertise in cardiovascular epidemiology, particularly hypertension and chronic heart failure; racial, ethnic, and income disparities in health; and clinical and public health interventions aimed at chronic disease prevention. She is the director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.  She is also the director of the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute's training programs.

The Summit will continue on Friday, September 16^th, hosted by Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), at the Washington Convention Center (Room 144C), as part of the Congressional Black Caucus's 16^th Annual Legislative Conference. The program will include the session "Meeting the Challenges of Educating and Mobilizing Black Communities on Prostate Cancer Issues," and will focus on education and awareness initiatives targeting African American communities. Panelists will review and assess the impact of certain efforts towards changing the culture and action around prostate cancer for men and their families.

Now in its twelfth year, The African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit convenes prostate cancer survivors and leaders within medicine, research, government industry, as well as the community, to address policy and medical issues towards eliminating this racial disparity. 

During the Summit, Ken Griffey Sr., three-time baseball All-star and spokesman for Bayer's Men Who Speak Up campaign will speak about his experiences as a prostate cancer survivor who lost four uncles to the disease and whose brother was recently diagnosed. Other confirmed speakers include: Congressional Black Caucus member, Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY); Wesley Coleman Grand Sire Archon, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (Boulé); Edith Mitchell, MD, Professor of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University and Immediate Past President of the National Medical Association; Ruth Etzioni, PhD, Affiliate Professor, Biostatistics and Health Services, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, University of Washington, Coordinating Principal Investigator, CISNET Prostate Cancer Group; Lannis Hall, MD MPH, Director of Radiation Oncology at Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes Jewish Saint Peters, and Clinical Trials Leader of the Program to Eliminate Cancer Disparities at the Washington University School of Medicine; and Steven R. Patierno, PhD, Deputy Director, Duke Cancer Institute, Director, Cancer Control and Population Sciences.

Click here for full Summit Program Overview and Schedule. 

The African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit is Free and Open to the Public and will be webcast live on the PHEN website: www.prostatehealthed.org.

About PHEN
The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) is the leading patient education and advocacy organization addressing the needs of African American prostate cancer patients and survivors. About 1 in 5 African American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime; with the highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States. Based in Quincy, Mass., PHEN, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 2003 by Thomas A. Farrington, a prostate cancer survivor. PHEN Initiatives include monthly live educational webcasts, the Annual Father's Day Rally, educational symposiums with church partners, and the Annual African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit in Washington, DC. For more information, visit PHEN's website: www.prostatehealthed.org.

Contact:
Tomeeka Farrington
617.423.0040
[email protected]

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SOURCE Prostate Health Education Network

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