CHAAMPS Hosts Successful Conference on Cancer Disparities in African American Men

On Thursday, February 28, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners gathered at the Graduate Hotel for a conference focused on Cancer Disparities in African American Men.

Otis Brawley, MD, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University
and former Medical and Scientific Officer American Cancer Society, was the event’s keynote speaker, where he discussed Cancer Control in the 21st Century.

This event, held in conjunction with the Center for Healthy African American Men through Partnerships (CHAAMPS) and sponsored by the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Masonic Cancer Center, brought together national experts in the fields of medicine, public health, cancer control, prevention, surgical oncology, and community-based participatory research to discuss the current state of the health of African American men.

“The goal of this health equity research is to develop, implement and evaluate interventions that will improve the health of African American men,” said Badrinath Konety, MD, MBA, CHAAMPS Principal Investigator and CEO of UMPhysicians.

CHAAMPS, a consortium of regional academic centers and community organizations, is a unique collaborative center that aims to develop, implement and evaluate interventions in order to improve African American men’s health through research, outreach and training.

The University of Minnesota and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have a multidisciplinary team of investigators and national experts with expertise in a variety of diverse fields.

“We are extremely grateful for this partnership with UAB,” said Konety. “Collaborations are essential in changing the current health equity trajectory.”