It's often true that women are the leaders in black families, Dr. Simmons said, which is why he was on board with a colleague's effort to help women encourage men to take control of their own health.

Simmons, an assistant professor in biomedical sciences on the Duluth Campus of the University of Minnesota Medical School, joined Olihe Okoro in an ongoing community project with a long name: "Leveraging the family influence of women in a community-based health education intervention to promote prostate health and general well-being among African American men."

Okoro, an assistant professor in the U of M's College of Pharmacy, Duluth Campus, was inspired to begin the project because of the same observation about women of African descent.

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