Inaugural McGraw/Patterson Center Symposium: Community-Based Research and Cancer Care Equity – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
“The agenda for the inaugural McGraw/Patterson Center for Population Sciences Scientific Symposium was as broad as the field of cancer population sciences itself.
The event featured presentations in community-based research, cancer genetics and prevention, early detection, cancer care equity and disparities, and more. The expertise of attendees was just as diverse. Among the more than 30 faculty who participated as research presenters or panelists were epidemiologists, ethicists, and nutritionists, along with specialists in health communications, computational science, health care policy, and clinical research.
The symposium was organized to create connections among members of the wide-reaching division, and between population scientists and researchers in other areas of the Institute, division chief Eliezer Van Allen, said in his opening remarks. One of the most recurrent points I’ve heard in talking with people in the division is that because the depth and breadth of science we’re doing are so immense, it would be nice if we could find creative ways to come together as a community and share what we’re doing and learn about each other’s work, he said. Hopefully, this can spark conversations and collaborations such that the science we do is even more impactful.
The program focused not only on current research but also on population science’s role in the future of cancer care, particularly in emerging areas such as the role of artificial intelligence in care delivery and the ethical questions it raises, Van Allen remarked.
The event began with a brief history of the division narrated by Judy Garber, chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention. The division, then called Cancer Control, was established in the late 1970s, an era when programs and cancer prevention and control were virtually unknown at major cancer centers. The division’s first chief, W. Bradford Patterson, a breast surgeon who had retired from surgery, began by identifying and recruiting talented researchers with an interest in the field, Garber said. He championed the first no-smoking policy in a health-care institution. He was followed by Frederick Li , one of the founders of the fields of cancer genetics and survivorship.
The symposium then segued into brief research presentations by early- and mid-career researchers, including Franklin Iheanacho, a medical student who is the division’s first Cancer Care Outcomes Research Fellow. The afternoon portion of the program featured oral presentations by division researchers, a career development and mentorship panel, a panel-led discussion on equity in population science research, and a scientific e-poster session.
The feedback we received from attendees was incredibly positive, says Betsy Hoffman, division administrator. It was a great opportunity to share our work with one another.”
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