Eventhough breast cancer is more common among white women, African-American women are far more likely to die of the disease.

What accounts for this fundamental racial imbalance? Dione Farria, M.D., knows all too well: African-American women are less likely to get mammograms that can detect breast cancer early when it is more easily treated.

Socioeconomic influences such as limited access to health care, mistrust of the health-care system and the lack of health insurance, both for screening and therapy, play a major role in this disparity.

For Farria, the inequity in breast cancer deaths has been a personal call to action. A radiologist who specializes in breast imaging, she is one of the rare few in the field who also holds a master's degree in public health. Her work to improve the quality of health care for people in less privileged segments of society helps Farria understand the barriers to cancer screening in a way that most radiologists don't.

"Mammography screening for breast cancer is a huge public health issue," says Farria, assistant professor of radiology. "In parts of St. Louis City and North St. Louis County, we see twice as much advanced breast cancer than would be expected.

"A number of of these women are not aware of their breast cancer risk or are fearful of getting a mammogram. Those are precisely the women we are trying to reach."

Farria is reaching out to African-Americans, the uninsured and immigrants in the city through the Siteman Cancer Center's Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities, a program she co-directs with Katherine Mathews, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

In this role, Farria draws on her expertise in breast screening and public health to develop programs that encourage screening for breast cancer and other common cancers with well-established racial disparities - lung, colorectal and prostate.

Through this effort, Farria is determined to overcome the barriers that prevent people from minority backgrounds from getting the cancer screening tests and follow-up care they need.

"Dione has a deep and abiding commitment to each project she takes on," Mathews says. "But just as important, she has a special ability to connect with people. It's not just about the technology or her expertise, but about these personal connections. This skill has contributed greatly to the success of the program in reaching out to the minority community."

By Caroline Arbanas


Posted by: Betsy    Source

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