October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we recently connected with Dr. Juan Antonio Santamaria on his latest research initiatives. His focus? Inclusivity. Here is what he had to say:

"Clinical trials can be the best way to treat cancer; however, minorities are underrepresented in clinical trials due to cultural biases, poor cancer literacy, financial/insurance issues, language barriers, geography, and lack of knowledge, trust, and access to clinical trials. Our proposition is that a culturally and linguistically adept breast cancer Lay Patient Navigation Program will increase Hispanic minorities participation in breast cancer clinical trials in the Omaha metro area. There will be a training curriculum for the lay navigators, social media engagement, community collaborations, and support groups. At the same time, women of minorities will increase the use of screening mammograms in our area. Our goals are to mitigate and eliminate this negative social determinant of health among our area minorities and pursue permanent funding for the programs long-term sustainability."

We're thrilled to be supporting Dr. Santamaria on this intiative and are grateful to have he and his team in the fight against cancer.