I am Dr. Patrice High from Columbia, SC. I am a wife, mother of a teenage son, a dual board-certified Family and Lifestyle Medicine physician teaching the power of lifestyle to prevent, improve and reverse disease in a telehealth practice format. My hobbies include purposeful movement by walking outdoors, group Zumba Classes and traveling (to name a few).
My role in ACS CAN is as a legislative ambassador. I also had the pleasure of sharing as a panelist during the ACS-CAN Priorities and Partners meeting in 2024. I have been involved with ACS CAN since November of 2024 and BVC since August of 2024.
As a clinician with over 20 years of experience, I have diagnosed and supported many cancer patients alongside other medical providers. This insidious disease leads to costly care and long suffering for the patient both in mind, body and spirit. I have also watched cancer take the lives (too soon) of multiple paternal family members thus I have a passion for prevention, decreasing cancer incidence and ultimately decreasing cancer recurrence.
Health Equity is the key to decreasing poor cancer outcomes. African Americans die from cancer more than any other racial or ethnic group due to a multitude of access issues. These barriers include healthy food, transportation, insurance coverage, lack of education regarding cancer risk and prevention, systemic medical mistrust leading to late diagnoses, provider bias, chronic stress due to economic hardship and discrimination. The statistics are disheartening, shocking and unnecessary in a country with more access the care than anywhere else in the world. I desire to be a part of the change in this tide by sharing the lifestyle habits we can all implement to decrease our disease burden.
Healthy Food as Medicine access and education regarding the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine are the initial keys to decreasing our cancer incidence one patient at a time. We can also decrease our costs of cancer care significantly just by teaching simple, practical lifestyle changes. The power of our own choices to propagate wellness versus disease in our everyday lifestyle decisions is an important message. Also, knowing we do not have to succumb to our family genes or to a life of long-suffering post diagnosis through treatment and recurring illness is also empowering to me as both a clinician and a patient. It will take a village to fight cancer disparities, and I am grateful to be involved in an organization whose up to the challenge.