Cancer Control in the 21st Century with Special Attention to Disparities in Health
Otis W. Brawley, M.D., M.A.C.P., F.R.C.P.
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Department of Epidemiology
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University
Elected Member of the National Academy of Medicine
Archived Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture: Cancer Control in the 21st Century with Special Attention to Disparities in Health
Date: September 9, 2021
Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Archived video
About this Seminar
On December 23, 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act. It was historic legislation aimed at overcoming one of man’s most dreaded disease. It is often referred to as the nation declaring war on cancer. The law infused unprecedented financial support into cancer research (basic and clinical). Numerous important questions have been asked and many answered. Indeed, the past fifty years have led to a change in our understanding of cancer. We have moved from a 19th century definition of cancer based on histology, to a 21st century definition based on histology and genomics.
Also of import, the law called for a cancer control program. A key part of which was a surveillance system that would establish and manage a program to determine cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and study patterns of cancer care. The surveillance program has documented the successes and failures of the National Cancer Act. It has stimulated the academic field of cancer epidemiology. The effort to control cancer has led to a 31 percent reduction in age-adjusted cancer death rate from 1991 to 2018. This decline is due to prevention (risk reduction), appropriate screening, diagnosis, and treatment. While there have been successes, all have not benefited equally. An efficient health system could have caused an even greater decline. The National Cancer Act stimulated the academic field of health disparities/health equity. Research suggests that more than 20 percent of the 600,000 cancer deaths per year are avertable in an efficient healthcare system.
The National Cancer Act has defined a number of questions pertinent to the control of cancer. Perhaps the most important question is: "How can we provide adequate, high-quality care, to all Americans.”
Additional Details
This is a free event hosted by Dr. Michael Friedlander and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. For more information, please call 540-526-2059.
About Maury Strauss
Maury Strauss is a longtime community benefactor and businessman who supports biomedical research with the goal of energizing the local economy and improving quality of life in our neighborhoods and around the world. In order to ensure the continued success of Roanoke’s biomedical research enterprise, as well as the free public seminars, Mr. Strauss has made a generous gift to the series. Read VT News Story
Support Our Research
Your generous support of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's rigorous biomedical research enterprise makes a difference for our faculty, students, and patients. Every donation helps accelerate the pace of new discoveries to help patients with cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease, and even rare genetic disorders. Private donations fast-track our progress.
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Home Item
A Nicotine-Focused Regulatory Strategy: The Science , homeMarch 13, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Forster Family Chair in Cancer Prevention, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Cancer Research Center – Roanoke
-
Home Item
From BDNF to Rett Syndrome: Synapses, Networks, and Social Behaviors in Mecp2 Mutant Mice , homeMarch 27, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Ph.D., Mall Family Endowed Professor for Genetic Autism Research, Department of Pediatrics & Human Development, College of Medicine, Michigan State University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Neurobiology Research
-
Home Item
The Effects of Aging and Physical Activity on Cardiovascular Structure and Function , homeApril 10, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Ben Levine, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, Clinical Heart and Vascular Center, Distinguished Professorship in Exercise Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Exercise Medicine Research
-
Home Item
The Golden Age of Immunology Research , homeApril 16, 2026, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Lewis Lanier, Ph.D., J. Michael Bishop Distinguished Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco; Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
-
Home Item
New Insights into Cardiac Mechanobiology: Role of Caveolar Nanodomains in Mechano-electrochemical Signal Transduction , homeApril 17, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Alexey Glukhov, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, UW-Madison Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin | Co-Sponsored by the Center for Vascular and Heart Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
-
Home Item
Advancing the Treatment of Traumatic Stress and Addictions: How Data Science Can Move the Field Forward , homeMay 1, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Denise Hien, Ph.D., Helen E. Chaney Endowed Chair in Alcohol Studies, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University-New Brunswick | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Health Behaviors Research and Addiction Recovery Research Center