Utah Cancer Summit: Disparities, Access to Care, and Public Policy

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will host its annual Utah Cancer Summit in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, November 7. This event will bring together leaders from the business, education, government and research communities who are united in the fight to end cancer.

Utah Cancer Summit | Disparities, Access to Care, and Public Policy

Cancer remains a critical public health problem with nearly 1.7 million Americans expected to hear the words “you have cancer” in 2018.  Approximately 610,000 will die from the disease. However, the burden of this disease is not equal. Join ACS CAN for a discussion of cancer-related disparities and how reducing these disparities has the potential to reduce the cancer burden today. 

Disparities. Almost everyone is at risk of developing cancer.  But that risk is not equal. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 150,000 of the estimated 610,000 cancer deaths in US would not occur if all Americans had the same level of cancer risk exposure and received the same amount and quality of care as college graduates.

Access. Many cancer related disparities are due in large part to a failure to get adequate care to those who need it, whether that be prevention, screening, or treatment. In order to truly address health care disparities, we must recognize that poverty, not having access to healthy foods, lack of access to health care and more are all critical issues to be addressed.

Policy. Conquering cancer is as much a matter of public policy as it is scientific discovery. Whether its increased federal funding for cancer research and prevention, improved access to health care, decreased exposure to second hand smoke or increased availability of healthy foods, public policy matters.

Agenda
8:30am-9:00am: breakfast and check-in
9:00am-9:10am: opening remarks
9:10am-10:00am: keynote address
10:00am-10:45am: panel discussion
10:45am-11:00am: closing remarks

Keynote speaker: David W. Wetter, Ph.D., is the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Presidential Professor, and Director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE) at the University of Utah and the Huntsman Cancer Institute. His work is targeted at eliminating inequities in health-related behavior through translational research.

Thank you to our generous sponsors.

Amgen
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Lyft
Pfizer