Waltham,
Mass. – March 15th – Karen Burns White, Deputy Associate Director of
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center’s (DF/HCC) Initiative to Eliminate Cancer
Disparities (IECD) since 2001, has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical
Society as the 2017 recipient of the society’s Reducing Health Disparities
Award, an honor recognizing an individual who has made outstanding
contributions to reducing health disparities due to race, socioeconomic status,
age, education, or sexual orientation.
Ms. Burns
White is being recognized for her efforts with DF/HCC’s IECD, which works
across seven institutions to improve minority awareness and participation in
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center’s research activities, and in developing the
Faith Based Cancer Disparities Network and the Continuing Umbrella of Research
Experience (CURE) Program, a program that enhances the pipeline of trainees
interested in cancer research. These efforts are significant contributions to
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center’s efforts to reach out to minority
populations and reduce disparities in cancer care.
The Faith
Based Cancer Disparities Network is a collaboration of nine churches in the
Boston area with a collective membership of 10,000. The program has engaged
church leaders in expanding Harvard’s reach into minority communities with the
goal of gaining a greater understanding of the interventions that make a
difference for minorities. The CURE
program creates opportunities for underrepresented students to engage in cancer
research experience, with the hope of increasing the number of minority health
care providers and scientists. The program has had great success, with eight of
out every ten students participating going on to pursue careers in biomedical
sciences.
A graduate
of Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in health information
management, Ms. Burns White received her master of science degree in health
care services from Lesley University.
She is a
member of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Advisory Committee and a
member of the Advisory Committee of the College of Nursing and Exercise Science
at the University of Massachusetts Boston. From 2008-2012, she served as a
board member and chair of the Grants Committee of the Massachusetts affiliate
of the Susan G. Komen for CURE Foundation.
Ms. Burns White has been the recipient of several awards for her
contributions.
The
Massachusetts Medical Society, with some 25,000 physicians and student members,
is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of
Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New
England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and
Journal Watch alerts and newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is
also a leader in continuing medical education providing accredited and
certified activities across the globe for physicians and other health care
professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is
the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more
information please visit www.massmed.org, www.nejm.org, or www.jwatch.org.