The Global Fight Against Cancer

American Cancer Society Elects First Hispanic/Latino President

(On left) Elmer E. Huerta, MD, MPH, new president of the American Cancer Society

Elmer E. Huerta, MD, MPH, has been named the new president of the American Cancer Society, becoming the first Hispanic/Latino ever to serve in this position. Dr. Huerta is founder and director of the Cancer Preventorium at the Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, D.C., one of the few clinics in the United States dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention and control. Dr. Huerta has focused his efforts for the past two decades on improving the lives of Hispanics/Latinos both in the United States and in partnership with the American Cancer Society International Affairs Department. Dr. Huerta hosts several Spanish-language radio and television programs that are nationally and internationally syndicated, sharing information on topics such as cancer prevention and screening with Hispanic/Latino communities in the US and Latin America.

Society Co-sponsors First Cross Strait Tobacco Conference in Taiwan

From left to right: Dr. Sophia Chan, Hong Kong University; June Chan, project director of international programs, American Cancer Society; Li Sing Hwa, director, China Ministry of Health; Judith Mackay, Dr. Homer Tso, and Vienna Lai of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking & Health

On October 20-21, more than 200 Chinese tobacco control advocates from the greater China region attended the historical 1st Cross Strait Tobacco Conference in Taipei, Taiwan. The American Cancer Society, a major sponsor of the conference, provided two pre-conference workshops on tobacco cessation, during which seven Society tobacco cessation seed grant recipients in China presented their project progress reports. During the conference, which was conducted primarily in Mandarin, the Global Smokefree Partnership (GSP) conducted two workshops on smoke-free topics including the Beijing Olympics and the smoke-free successes in Ireland. Cassandra Welch, director of international tobacco control for the Society and a leader in the GSP, delivered a presentation on the status of international smoke-free policies during the conference banquet session.

Society Staff and Volunteers Participate in Eastern Mediterranean Health Conference in Cairo

From left to right: Mohamed Abdi Jama, deputy regional director of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office; Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization; Omar Shafey, director of international programs and research, American Cancer Society; and Atef M. Zayed, Health and Biomedical Information Unit, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. 

American Cancer Society Great Lakes Division volunteer Dr. Adnan Hammad and Society staff participated in the 54th session of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, held in Cairo, Egypt, October 20-23. WHO Director General Margaret Chan attended the session as ministers of health or their deputies from the 22 Eastern Mediterranean member states discussed regional cooperation on a broad range of public health issues. A progress report on ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control noted that all member states (except Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, and Tunisia) have ratified the treaty. Delegates agreed to strive for stronger clean indoor air measures and public education efforts. The growing obesity problem resulting from high-fat and high-sugar diets was decried, especially manufacturers' manipulative marketing of “junk” food to children. Member states agreed to collaborate on biomedical research initiatives and to cooperate to ensure wide access to chemotherapeutic agents. WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office encompasses Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.  Dr. Adnan Hammad is director of community health and research at Dearborn, Michigan's Arab-American Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), a Society partner working with Arab and Arab American communities.

Mid-South Division Hosts Staff and Volunteers from Cancer Association of South Africa at Mid-South Relay Events

(From left to right) Lucy Balona, CANSA staff; Piet Smit, CANSA volunteer; Joe Cahoon, Mid-South Division chief executive officer; David McKinnon, CANSA volunteer; Munnik Marais, CANSA staff

Staff and volunteer leaders from the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) visited the Mid-South Division in Nashville two weeks ago to attend the Mid-South Division Relay Reunion. Since 2006, the Mid-South Division has been a partner with leaders of CANSA to expand Relay For Life® in South Africa, making it the signature fundraiser by 2010. The Mid-South Summit was led by the leadership volunteers of the Division, where the new Relay initiative “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.” was rolled out to the group. The South African delegates – Lucy Balona, staff; Munnik Marais, staff; David McKinnon, volunteer; and Piet Smith, volunteer – all had the opportunity to mix and mingle with community Relay volunteers and staff, as well as to attend workshops led by the volunteers on furthering the development of Relay. South Africa has held four Relay events in 2007 and will expand to 13 events in 2008.

Workshop on Tobacco Control in Brazil Features Society Staff and Fellows

Laura Roballo, American Cancer Society International Tobacco Control Grantee

The Society’s International Tobacco Control Program staff participated in the First Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Latin American Conference on Tobacco Control and Second Iberoamerican Conference on Tobacco Control in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, held September 3-7, 2007. Prior to the conference, Society staff and Society International Tobacco Control Fellows took part in a one and one-half day workshop sponsored by the Global Dialogue for Effective Stop Smoking Campaigns, a multi-partner international initiative focused on increasing the impact of stop smoking campaigns. Workshop participants, including tobacco control researchers and campaign managers from various countries in Latin America, heard Laura Roballo’s presentation on Uruguay’s experiences with mass media campaigns related to tobacco control. Another presentation delivered details on a new Society-supported Campaign Development Tool Kit, a “how-to” guide to planning, developing, and implementing tobacco control marketing campaigns. An English version of the tool kit will be finalized this month, while Spanish and French translations of the tool kit will be available in early 2008.

Society’s Midwest Division Hosts International Fellowship on Patient Navigation

Patient Navigation Fellows

In August 2007, the Society’s Midwest Division hosted a fellowship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in Chicago, Illinois, for three representatives of a pilot patient navigation program being developed by the Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia (INCan) in Mexico. The fellows – Gina Tarditi, manager of the patient navigation program; Dr. Laura Suchil, deputy director general of INCan; and Alicia Berumen, a patient navigator in training – were given the opportunity to participate in Division and national patient navigation trainings; to discuss best practices and lessons learned with navigators; and to shadow navigators in their daily work. As Health Disparities Director Joenell Henry-Tanner explains, “The seven-day International Patient Navigation Fellowship offered a valuable knowledge transfer opportunity that was mutually beneficial to both INCan and the Midwest Division. The Mexican fellows provided critical insight that will influence our strategies to effectively engage Hispanic/Latino constituents within our Division.”

Ten Countries Participate in American Cancer Society University (ACSU) Held in New York City

The Avon Foundation sponsored its third American Cancer Society University (ACSU), held in New York City on October 1-5, 2007. Avon Associates from 10 countries each selected a representative from a cancer nongovernmental organization (NGO) and a breast cancer survivor to attend the training as part of their team. The weeklong training focused on event management and fundraising, mobilizing survivors as volunteers, and working with the media. All 27 scholars in attendance also received media video training facilitated by international staff member Gita Pullapilly and Eastern Division volunteer Garrison Jackson. Additional faculty members were from the Avon Foundation and the Society, including Eastern Division volunteer Babette Goodman Cohen, whose moving cancer story inspired many survivors to stand up and tell their own stories, several of them for the first time. NGO’s will receive a seed grant to work with their team and to conduct a fundraising program in their country over the next year, with proceeds used to fund breast cancer programs. Participating countries included Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, and the Ukraine.