Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative

Audrea Juny Simpson

Genentech
Head of Health Equity, Customer Engagement

"At Genentech, we envision a healthcare system that is diverse and inclusive, accountable and trustworthy to patients. To achieve this vision, we aim to advance a more equitable and just healthcare system, diversify the scientific and medical workforce, and collaborate with trusted organizations like NMQF, to ensure all communities thrive. We cannot advance health equity alone. Therefore, we are working to build deep partnerships and co-create lasting solutions that address the manifestations and drivers of inequities in healthcare - from education to care delivery."

Kevin Conroy

Exact Sciences
Chairman and CEO

“Our vision at Exact Sciences is to eradicate cancer and the suffering it causes through tests that detect cancer earlier – and we can’t do that alone. Through partnerships with organizations like NMQF, we are working to ensure all patients have access to cancer screening.”

Gary A. Puckrein

National Minority Quality Forum
President & CEO

"I urge you to remember that Americans often grow impatient when they cannot see light at the end of the tunnel -when policies do not overnight usher in a new order. But politics is not magic." — President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966 "Similar to President John, what is important now is technology, and we can see the light in the tunnel. We can get better outcomes for equitable cancer care, for every person. We have the capabilities to provide everyone access to high-quality care, lower the risk for hospitalizations, and make it, so the system is there for you so that we manage cancer care."

Adjoa Kyerematen

National Minority Quality Forum
VP of Communications
& Public Affairs

Kelelaye Emiru

National Minority Quality Forum
VP of Health Information Strategy

"In a country with unparalleled healthcare spending, it's disgraceful that preventable suffering and deaths continue at such alarming rates. The glaring disparities in health outcomes based on income, race and ethnicity emphasize the urgent need to address inequities head-on. Fortunately, we possess the potential to unlock healing and equity through compassion and kindness, leveraging our collective knowledge and advanced technology."

Gretchen C. Wartman

National Minority Quality Forum
VP for Policy

"The cracks we have in the system are not by accident. We must address policies to make effective and real CHANGE."

Salvatore Alesci

National Minority Quality Forum
SVP for Social & Clinical Research Institute

“Cancer, a challenge that humanity has grappled with for ages, has one Achilles' heel: early detection. But the sad truth is that many, especially in our minority and rural sectors, don't get to leverage this advantage. The Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative (CSSI) is our answer to this disparity. Because cancer doesn't discriminate, and neither should our approach to diagnosis and treatment. By focusing on equitable early diagnoses and fostering diversity in clinical trials, CSSI aims to rewrite the narrative of cancer care. With the dawn of precision medicine, where treatments are as unique as the individuals receiving them, CSSI's role becomes even more pivotal. It's our pledge to ensure that the next chapter in cancer care is written with, and for, everyone. It's our vision of a world where the best of cancer care is a right, not a privilege."

Laura Lee Hall

Center for Sustainable Health Care
Quality and Equity
President

We are honored to be working with clinicians and community leaders nationwide to promote health equity at the local level.  Passionate champions are promoting vaccine access and acceptance, cancer screenings, and improved diabetes outcomes in underserved communities of color.

Michael DeSalvo Solarte

Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality & Equity
Quality Improvement &
Equity Project Manager

"Access to medical care should not be a privilege, but a human right. A country with a fair system cannot allow these inequities to remain."