Major grant from the National Institutes of Health will develop strategies for improving access to health care for numerous minority populations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Laura Stroup, Academic Health Center, 612-624-9912 or stro0481@umn.edu
Laura McCarthy, Academic Health Center, 612-624-5680 or lamccart@umn.edu

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (March 24, 2010) – The University of Minnesota Medical School, along with the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) and four partner institutions, tomorrow will announce the details of a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for research focused on minority recruitment and retention in cancer clinical trials.

WHO:

• John Ruffin, Ph.D., director of the NCMHD
• Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., principal investigator, University of Minnesota
• Mona N. Fouad, M.D., M.P.H., co-principal investigator, University of Alabama at Birmingham 
• Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, M.D., M.P.H., regional lead investigator, University of Minnesota
• Jean G. Ford, M.D., regional lead investigator, Johns Hopkins University
• Lovell A. Jones, Ph.D., regional lead investigator, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 
• Lea G. Spencer UC Davis Cancer Center (representing Moon S. Chen Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H., regional lead investigator, University of California, Davis)

WHAT: To begin work on this major project, the consortium of schools will meet to discuss goals, expectations and projected outcomes with the NCMHD director. Various congressional delegates from the states of participating schools may be in attendance to address the group on the importance of this work to their communities.
   
WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 2010 -- 12 p.m. EST
   
WHERE: Room 441, Cannon House Office Building, Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SE, Washington, DC
   
WHY: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, racial and ethnic minorities suffer more from cancer than the U.S. population as a whole, developing certain types of cancer more often with a greater chance of premature death due to late-stage detection. Although much is known about cancer incidence rates in minority populations, little research exists to understand behavior and social environment—the barriers and biases that limit participation and access to clinical trials.