Toral Shah, Nutritional Scientist, Integrative Oncology and Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Co-Founder of South Asian Supernovas, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“In the UK, breast cancer outcomes among South Asian communities rank among the most concerning. Several interconnected challenges contribute to this disparity: community members often have limited familiarity with breast cancer symptoms and warning signs, participate less frequently in breast self-examinations and screening mammograms, and face a healthcare system that lacks cultural competency.
Research shows South Asian patients must visit their general practitioners an average of 2.3 times more than white patients before receiving referrals to breast cancer specialists – a clear indicator of systemic inequities within the pathway of breast cancer diagnosis.
Following in the footsteps of my colleague and friend Georgette Oni, founder of the Black Women and Breast Cancer conference, and more recently Dr Olubukola Ayodele, who is part of the organising committee and an amazing educator, they have encouraged me to organise a similar event specific to South Asian women.
As cofounder of South Asian Supernovas, I am proud to announce the launch of its inaugural event, ‘Breaking Barriers: South Asian Breast Cancer Symposium’ – a focused half-day symposium dedicated to addressing breast cancer disparities within South Asian communities.
This year, the half-day symposium will highlight how cultural beliefs intersect with diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship while exploring how evidence-based diet and lifestyle changes can help minimise recurrence risk. The program features expert Insights from internationally recognised specialists Joshila DeVile and Jay Tatla, and myself, with a mixture of lived experience and open dialogue designed to inspire collaboration among healthcare professionals, patients, families, and community leaders.
The goal: to foster culturally responsive care and narrow survival rate gaps for South Asians facing breast cancer.
The symposium takes place as part of the Hello Beautiful Unite Breast Cancer festival sponsored by Pink Ribbon International. This event takes place on 11th October from 2 – 6 pm in the Hello Love HQ in Bloomsbury and is free of charge to participants. The event is free of charge for participants and includes healthy and innovative food from our partners Seeds of Wild and fantastic goody bags containing products from Wiley’s Finest and BIOGENA GROUP, amongst others.
Please do share and encourage your community, friends, family, and patients to join us.
Register here.”
More posts featuring Toral Shah.