Title
Health Equity
Featured Health Equity Article
Lung Cancer Screening: Implementation Challenges and Health Equity Considerations for the Western Pacific Region
As part of the Special Series “Cancer Care in the Asia Pacific,” this article explores the challenges to implementing lung cancer screening in the Western Pacific Region.
By Claire Nightingale et al.
A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is not just a timely initiative for the American Society of Clinical Oncology or for Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation: It’s a long-standing imperative, one that goes back to our very beginnings.
Today, our commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is stronger than ever.
We unveiled ASCO’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, which is organized by ASCO’s three mission pillars.
- Research
- Education
- Quality
Since the Action Plan launch, ASCO also established the Center for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Center for EDI) with the intent to concentrate our resources on integrating our EDI work into everything we do and holding us accountable for its progress. See the health equity initiatives launched across ASCO’s mission pillars below.
2022 EDI Blueprint Report
ASCO has released its first-ever Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Blueprint Report, highlighting ASCO’s 2022 advancements in the EDI space. The report provides information on 22 initiatives that ASCO launched across the mission pillars of research, education and quality, and spotlights eight of them.
The efforts described in this report demonstrate ASCO and Conquer Cancer’s commitment to and focus on creating and sustaining meaningful change that translates into high-quality, equitable care for all individuals with cancer. The work we’ve done and continue to do will build, create, and enhance health equity programs across the globe. Additionally, organizational changes have been made to further equity for our members. 2022 was a very productive and exciting year—but there is more to do.
This report highlights just eight of our 22 health equity programs (see appendix), nine diversity domains, and the EDI efforts focused on our employees. None of this work would be possible without the commitment of our members, volunteers, collaborators, generous donors, and staff. For 2023, our board has identified three areas that ASCO and Conquer Cancer should focus on now and over the next five years. These will be access to care, the profession, and knowledge (education). Efforts in these domains will advance our mission with respect to research, education, and quality care. Notably, in this new strategic plan Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Global Impact will cut across and infuse all of our work so that we have accountability in ensuring that equity, diversity, and inclusion are delivered in every relevant area.
ASCO has developed a wide range of resources to help its members and the larger cancer community better understand and address health equity issues in cancer research and care. Find those resources below and check back for the latest updates.
Questions?
Additional Resources
- Caring for LGBTQ+ Individuals
- ASCO Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Podcast
- EDI in Research Ethics
For the Patient Community
ASCO offers a variety of articles and podcasts about health equity through its patient education website, Cancer.Net, including:
- Expert Q&A on Cancer Disparities and Health Equity
- How Cancer Clinical Trials Can Help Reduce Health Care Disparities
- Interview with Dr. Karen Winkfield on Social Determinants of Health and How They Affect People with Cancer
- Patient Resource List about Cancer Disparities and Health Equity
Policy and Position Statements
ASCO has developed an extensive portfolio of policy and position statements focused on equity in cancer care in research. Statements include:
- Spotlight on International Quality: COVID-19 and Its Impact on Quality Improvement in Cancer Care (October 2021)
- ASCO’s Statement on Addressing Racism in Oncology (2021)
- Recommendations from the ASCO Academic Global Oncology Task Force (November 2020)
- Improving Diversity in Clinical Trial Participation (October 2020)
- ASCO's Cancer Disparities and Health Equity Statement (August 2020)
- American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Global Oncology Leadership Task Force: Findings and Actions (August 2017)
- Strategies for Reducing Cancer Health Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations (April 2017)
- AACR, ACS, ASCO, and NCI Joint Statement on Cancer Health Disparities Research (July 2017)
- Improving the Evidence Base for Treating Older Adults With Cancer (July 2015)
- Opportunities in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to Reduce Cancer Care Disparities (August 2011)
- Disparities in Cancer Care (June 2009)
ASCO and Conquer Cancer would like to thank all of the generous donors of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative.
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