Lacy Hubbard, Founding President and CEO of Elekta Foundation, shared on LinkedIn:
“On Friday, I stepped onto the TEDx stage to talk about ‘How Can We Eliminate One Cancer?’
What stayed with me most were the conversations with the many people who came up to me afterward.
Some told me they would encourage their families and friends to get their teenagers vaccinated against HPV. Others said they would book an overdue checkup or ask their gynecologist about HPV testing.
In those moments, I saw the power of advocacy. Something I shared could lead someone to take action for themselves, their child, or a friend.
For most of my career, I called myself an implementer. I love turning big ideas into practical solutions, measurable results, and concrete impact. I thought I could leave advocacy to others.
Leading the Elekta Foundation has changed that.
To make cancer screening accessible and scalable, I’ve also had to become an advocate who brings organizations together, an educator who engages local communities, and a voice for policies that help women get the care they need.
Everything is connected: technologies, community trust, funding, policy, and delivery.
Only when all of those pieces come together can we turn a test into life-saving care.
In Rwanda, the screening system we’ve helped build with our partners has reached half a million women in four years.
Now, the ambition is to reach the remaining half a million in just one year, as part of Mission2027, Rwanda’s drive toward Cervical Cancer elimination.
Behind those numbers are women with families, responsibilities, and futures worth protecting. We have the science and tools to prevent cervical cancer. We know elimination is possible.
The question is no longer whether we know what to do. It is whether we have the collective will to do it.
That is why I am using my voice: to bring more people, partners, and resources behind this work.
I closed my talk with these words:
‘If we act now, we can be the generation that eliminates a cancer.’
If you or your organization share this ambition, I would love to explore what we can make possible together.”
You can also read:
Carlton Allen: We launched the Texas Lone Star Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan 2027 – 2032
