People of color can face a number of inequities in receiving cancer care. How people with cancer and their doctors can address racial disparities in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment was the theme of the 2022 Close the Gap conference, the annual virtual conference hosted by SurvivorNet in collaboration with NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Kathie-Ann Joseph, MD, MPH, professor in the Departments of Surgery and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and co-director of Perlmutter Cancer Center’s Beatrice W. Welters Breast Health Outreach and Navigation Program, was among the cancer experts, cancer survivors, hospital leaders, community organizers, and industry executives who gathered to examine solutions to inequities faced by people of color. Dr. Joseph discussed how people of color can be advocates for their health.

“I would really suggest that if you’re diagnosed with cancer, it’s good to go to a place where your case is going to be discussed in a multidisciplinary manner, preferably a comprehensive cancer center,” says Dr. Joseph, also vice chair for diversity and health equity in the Department of Surgery and NYU Langone Transplant Institute, and clinical and community collaborator in the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity at NYU Langone. “By that I mean you’re not going from one medical office to another medical office where your care is sort of fragmented.”

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