MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM CANCER THAN WHITE WOMEN.

ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY STILL DOESN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY.

NOW RESEARCHERS ARE EMBARKING ON A 30 YEAR STUDY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE RISK FACTORS AND OUTCOMES THAT MAKE BLACK WOMEN MORE VULNERABLE TO MANY KINDS OF CANCER.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE PARIS THOMAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EQUAL HOPE.

CALLING IN ON ZOOM ARE THE STUDY'S CO-LEAD FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY.

LAUREN MCCULLOUGH AND REVEREND ETHEL SOUTHERN, A PARTICIPANT IN THE STUDY AND THANKS TO ALL 3 OF YOU FOR JOINING US, LAUREN MCCULLOUGH, LET'S START WITH YOU.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY.

>> YES, FOR MANY YEARS WE'VE HAD DECADES OF MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS BLACK WOMEN HAVE NOT BENEFITED.

DEFINITELY FROM THIS ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE.

WE KNOW THAT BLACK MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE CO-MORBID CONDITIONS WERE LIKELY TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER AT LATER STAGES AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE AGGRESSIVE TUMORS.

WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, BLACK WOMEN HAVE THE POOR SURVIVAL ACROSS RACE AND ETHNIC GROUPS IN.

SO IT'S WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING THAT WE FELT IT WAS NECESSARY AND WE'LL TIME TO LAUNCH A STUDY LIKE VOICES OF BLACK WOMEN.

AND LAUREN, GIVE US A SENSE, IF YOU WOULD, HOW THE STUDY WOULD WORK AS FAR REQUIREMENTS TO THE THE SURVEYS THAT PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO COMPLETE.

>> HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'RE TRYING GET TO PARTICIPATE.

>> YES, SO OUR TARGET NUMBER IS 100,000.

SO 100,000 BLACK WOMEN AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CITY, YOU NEED TO BE A BLACK WOMAN RESIDING IN ONE OF THE 20 STATES OR D C YOU ALSO NEED TO BE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 25 55 AND NEVER HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER EXCEPT FOR SKIN A WOMAN CAN BEGIN TO JOIN OUR STUDY BIBLE AND AVOID THIS IS THAT CANCER DOT ORG.

THERE.

THEY CAN CONFIRM THEIR ELIGIBILITY CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE AND RESEARCH AND DO THE INITIAL REGISTRATION NAME EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBERS ADDRESS.

THESE ARE ALL THE THINGS WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE PARTICIPANT OVER 30 YEARS FROM THERE.

YOU WILL COMPLETE HER FIRST SURVEY, WHICH IS ABOUT AN HOUR LONG.

AND AFTER THAT, YOU BE FULLY ENROLLED IN THE VOICES OF BLACK WOMEN.

AND SO OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS, WE PLAN TO CONTACT PARTICIPANTS TWICE A YEAR FOR THEM TO COMPLETE A SHORT 30 MINUTE SURVEY.

AND SO I WANTED TO DESIGN THIS SURVEY SO THAT BLACK WOMEN WOULDN'T FEEL BURDENED BY THE TASK.

BUT WE SAY A SHORT ONE, OUR INVESTMENT PER YEAR SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE OUR KNOWLEDGE AND BEGIN TO NARROW SOME OF THESE DISPARITY GAPS WEEK SAYING, RIGHT?

SO WE SHOULD BE CLEAR.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S NO TRIALING OF THE PARTICIPANTS.

IN THIS IT IS REGULAR SURVEYS OVER THE 30 YEARS THE LIFESPAN OF >> OF THE STUDY UP PARIS, THOMAS, YOU KNOW, WHY DO MEDICAL STUDIES TYPICALLY SUFFER FROM SORT OF LIKE THIS UNDER REPRESENTATION OF BLACK WOMEN?

>> SO, YEAH, THERE'S MULTIPLE REASONS AS TO WHY BLACK WOMEN HISTORICALLY HAVE NOT PARTICIPATED IN STUDIES LIKE THESE.

THE FIRST WOULD BE MISTRESS FOR DECADES.

WE HAVE SEEN BLACK BE EXPLOITED IN RESEARCH.

WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT.

THERE'S ALSO THE USAGE OF IT THAT DATA WOMEN ARE CONCERNED.

IS IT GOING TO FURTHER PERPETUATE A HISTORICAL, YOU KNOW, MS REFERENCES THAT HAITIANS OF BLACK WOMEN OR IS GOING TO BE USED TO TEAR DOWN OUR COMMUNITIES.

THERE'S ALSO SOCIAL ECONOMIC FACTORS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO DON'T HAVE CERTAIN THINGS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO STUDY SUCH AS TRANSPORTATION ARE.

MAYBE I LIVE WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ISN'T SO SAFE.

SO I DON'T REALLY LEAVE MY HOME.

THERE'S OTHER THINGS SUCH AS JUST COMMUNICATION.

ARE WE ACTUALLY EVEN BEING TOLD ABOUT THE STUDIES THAT ARE OUT RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT WHEN IT COMES TO FRUITION, TIME WITH BLACK PATIENTS IS LOWER THAN THOSE OF OTHER ETHNICITIES, MEANING THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING INFORMATION.

SO THOSE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS.

AND HOW DOES THAT THAT SORT OF LACK OF REPRESENTATION THAT BEEN IMPACT MEDICAL TREATMENT AND OUTCOMES FOR BLACK YES, SO THAT DEFINITELY EXCUSE THE RESEARCH THAT IS OUT THERE, MEANING THAT WHEN THERE'S TREATMENTS AND THINGS THAT ARE PRODUCED WERE NOT A PART OF THAT, WHICH WHY WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE DISPARITY SPECIFICALLY FOR BLACK WOMEN IN THE CASES OF THESE CANCERS.

IT'S IMPORTANT WHERE PART OF THE AS MANY OF SO NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US.

REVEREND SOUTHERN, WHY DID YOU WANT TO DISSIPATE IN THE STUDY?

>> I WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY BECAUSE I HAD A SISTER OF LOVE WITH 7 YEARS IN MARCH THAT SHE DIED AND SHE DIED FROM CANCER AS SHE FOUND OUT THAT SHE HAD CANCER AS SHE WAS GOING THROUGH ALL OF THE SCREENS FOR A DOUBLE TRANSPLANT.

AND UPON FINDING OUT.

I KNEW THERE WAS SOME THINGS THAT I NEEDED TO DO.

AS I JOURNEYED WITH HER AND IT'S IMPORTANT.

IT'S IT'S IT'S SO IMPORTANT WHEN OF ONE OF THE SPEAKERS THEY TALKED ABOUT THE MISTRESS, BLACK WOMEN.

WE DON'T TRUST.

THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT SOMEONE LIKE HENRIETTA WE HAVE REASON TO NOT TO ON NOT TO TRUST.

SO FOR ME, I'M EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS NEW INITIATIVE THAT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HAS WOULD FOYE SAYS AND I BELIEVE WITH WAS TO FIND THE JURORS.

CLEMENTS RE 2020 ADOPTS SO THAT'S THE APPROACH I'M TAKING WITH THIS AND WE'RE GOING TO GET 100,000 WOMEN.

WE'RE GOING TO >> ALL RIGHT.

LAUREN, YOU'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ENROLLING.

THESE 100,000 WOMEN NOW ON.

HAVE YOU HAVE YOU SEEN YET ANY CHALLENGES IN GETTING FOLKS TO SIGN UP?

>> SO WE ACTUALLY PILOTED THE STUDY LAST FALL WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING OUT, MAKE SURE SYSTEMS MAKE SURE THERE WERE NO BARRIERS AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO REPORT THERE HAVEN'T BEEN VERY MANY OBSTACLES.

I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS JUST SPREADING.

THE WORD IS THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT KNOWING THAT THE STUDY IS THERE, KNOWING THAT IT IS BUILT FOR THEM BY AN EXCLUSIVE GROUP GROUP OF WOMEN AND LARGELY BLACK WOMEN AND JUST HAVING PEOPLE WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS REALLY GROUNDBREAKING BUT WE ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO HEARING FEEDBACK FROM POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS AND EXISTING PARTICIPANTS ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE IT EASIER ON THEM TO NAVIGATE THROUGH AN END TO JOIN THE STUDY.

>> AND LAUREN, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT THIS STUDY WILL BE LOOKING AT OVER OVER THESE 30 YEARS?

>> IT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION.

SO IT BEING A HEALTH STUDY.

OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO ASK ONE OF THE NORMAL THINGS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL CONDITIONS, DRUGS, THAT YOU'RE TAKING VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS, FAMILY HISTORY.

WE'RE ALSO GOING TO ASK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LIFESTYLE AND BEHAVE YOURSELF IS COLLECTIVE A T A LITTLE BIT AROUND DIET THINGS AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENT.

SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T CHOOSE TO HAVE AN UNHEALTHY DIET.

A LOT OF TIMES IS BASED ON WHERE THEY LIVE, YOU KNOW, FOOD, DESERTS SWAMPS.

THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.

AND THEN NOVEL TO THIS STUDY ARE ARE REALLY SORT OF ALL THE THINGS AROUND EXPERIENCE OF BEING A BLACK WOMAN IN THIS COUNTRY.

WE ASKED ABOUT EXPERIENCES OF RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION BY A SEASON.

ALL SORTS OF THINGS GIVEN A JOB BUYING A HOUSE HOME VALUATIONS.

WE ASK EXPERIENCES OF TRAUMA EVEN IN EARLY LIFE AS WELL AS SOCIAL SUPPORT AND CARE WE KNOW THAT BLACK ARE OFTEN MAKE OF THEIR FAN OF THEIR FAMILIES.

AND THAT COMES WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF STRESS AND RESPONSIBILITY.

AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND THOSE EXPERIENCES THAT WE CAN HAVE.

IT WILL REST OF KNOWLEDGE AS CONSIDERING THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH.

>> HARRIS, WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT HOW BLACK WOMEN ARE IMPACTED BY DIFFERENT KINDS OF CANCER.

YES.

SO WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT BLACK WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM CANCER, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE A LOWER INCIDENCE SPECIFICALLY HERE.

YOU POINTED IT 40% HERE IN CHICAGO.

SOME POINT IT WAS AT 62% FOR BLACK WOMEN.

SO WAS EVEN HIGHER.

THAT BLACK WOMEN SUFFER IMPLICIT BIAS IN THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT BLACK WOMEN ARE DYING IN THE MATERNAL SPACE.

WE KNOW THROUGH HEALTHCARE.

BLACK WOMEN HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH MULTIPLE TYPE OF CONDITIONS IN THIS SPACE.

REVEREND SOUTHERN, DID YOU HAVE ANY FEARS OR QUESTIONS BEFORE DECIDING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS?

>> NONE.

WHAT?

NONE WHATSOEVER.

FOR THE FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS WE PARTNER WITH AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY BECAUSE OF THE AREA AND WHERE WHERE OUR CHURCH IS LOCATED.

AND WE SEE THE LARGE NUMBER OF BLACK WOMEN.

WE'RE BEING DIAGNOSED ON A DAILY BASES.

SO KNOW WHEN I WAS ASKED ABOUT IT, I WAS ALL IN 1000% NOTE, NO QUESTIONS.

NO DOUBT.

>> I'M LAUREN.

WE'VE JUST GOT ABOUT 30 SECONDS LEFT.

BUT BRIEFLY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A 30 YEAR I THINK THE FIRST OF ITS KIND WILL THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY WILL BLACK.

THE BLACK WOMEN COMMUNITY HAVE TO WAIT 30 YEARS BEFORE BEING ABLE TO LEARN YOUR RESULTS?

>> NOW, SO THE NICE THING ABOUT THESE PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDIES AS WE CAN LEARN ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION ALONG THE WAY, VERY EARLY ON SHORTLY AFTER WE HAVE 100,000 WOMEN MAYBE EVEN BEFORE THAT, WE CAN LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT RISK FACTORS THAT WE KNOW ARE RELATED TO CANCER SUCH AS OBESITY.

WE CAN LOOK AT ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENCES IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN TRYING PINPOINT THE REASONS THAT WE SEE THESE DIFFERENCES AND OTHER CONDITIONS LIKE COPD, RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS, ETCETERA.

WE CAN ALSO SPEAK TO A LOT OF OTHER HEALTH OUTCOMES.

WE ARE ASKING ABOUT CANCER BECAUSE WE ARE THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY BUT ARE ALSO ASKING ABOUT MATERNAL OUTCOMES, DIABETES.

LUCAS.

THEN WE EXPECT THAT WITHIN THE FIRST 5 YEARS WILL BEGIN TO SEE SOME CANCERS EMERGING WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY A MORE AGGRESSIVE CANCERS IN THE END, OF COURSE, AFTER ABOUT A DECADE OR SO REALLY LOOKING AT OUTCOMES AND DISPARITIES MORTALITY.

>> ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL TALK ABOUT AGAIN IN 5 YEARS.

HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE FOR NOW THAT MY THANKS TO LAUREN MCCULLOUGH RIVER, NFL SOUTHERN AND PARIS THOMAS FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU.

>> AND FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE STUDY AND DETAILS ON HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE.