More than 220 community leaders attended the Women’s Leadership Breakfast hosted by the Executive Council of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
More than 220 community leaders attended the Women’s Leadership Breakfast hosted by the Executive Council of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers. The breakfast focused on the Institute’s progress in advancing equity in breast and gynecologic cancer care.
The morning began with remarks from Dana-Farber President and CEO Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh, MPH, and Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Breast Oncology.
“It is an honor to connect with these leaders on the disparities in breast and gynecologic cancers, an important topic that is worthy of our discussion and demands change,” Glimcher said. “The Susan F. Smith Center Executive Council understands the urgency of these issues and wants to improve cancer outcomes in underserved communities – women united are powerful.”
Walsh, who was CEO of the Boston Medical Center health system when she was tapped to lead the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, spoke on the obligation to eliminate inequities in cancer care access and outcomes.
Her address was followed by a talk by Cheryl McCloud, a survivor of triple-negative breast cancer and whose treatment at Dana-Farber exemplifies the equitable access to care that the Institute is working to ensure.
The breakfast also featured a panel discussion moderated by Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, chief clinical and access equity officer and the Christopher and Constance Hadley Family Chair at Dana-Farber.
The discussion centered on efforts to improve access to the Institute, for both treatment and clinical trials, to patients from historically underserved communities. Magnolia Contreras, MSW, MBA, vice president, Community Health, spoke about the Institute’s navigation programs.
“My grandmother, Susan F. Smith, was a longtime supporter of Dana-Farber and was instrumental in creating this annual event. She would be enormously proud of the number of women at this breakfast and for the council’s ongoing support, and for their commitment to the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Equity and Early Detection Bill,” said Jessica Knez, Dana-Farber trustee and executive council member.
This year’s event was organized in conjunction with External Affairs, Philanthropy, and Communications and Marketing.
The Executive Council is a group of women dedicated to defying cancer. Established in 2002, it has sought to change the trajectory of women’s cancers through education, advocacy, and fundraising.
The council also supports Susan F. Smith Center patients and their families. With the Dana-Farber Legislative Action Network, it advocates on cancer-related issues. This year’s Executive Council Breakfast raised almost $300,000 for research and patient care at the Susan F. Smith Center. Since 2002, the council has raised more than $19 million for the Susan F. Smith Center, with funds going toward groundbreaking research and new forms of treatments for breast and gynecologic cancers.