Conference to raise global awareness on prostate cancer disparities, prevention

For media inquiries contact Helen Goh at 352-273-7658 or email Helen.Goh@urology.ufl.edu

The global burden of prostate cancer in men of African descent is the focus of a landmark collaborative conference organized by University of Florida Health Science Center researchers. Leaders from the College of Medicine, the College of Pharmacy, Prostate Net and the 100 Black Men of Jacksonville Inc. will join together Aug. 27 to Aug. 29 to host the first “The Science of Global Prostate Cancer Disparities in Black Men” conference at the Hotel Crowne Plaza in Jacksonville.

Prostate cancer is the most significant cancer to disproportionately affect black men in the United States and Jamaica. In the United States, the average annual prostate cancer incidence rate was 59 percent higher and the mortality rate was 2.4 times higher for black men than white men between 2001 and 2005, organizers say.

The disease is becoming a major public health concern in developing countries and dialogues are critical, said conference organizer Folakemi Odedina, Ph.D., a professor of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy with the College of Pharmacy.

“We must find a way to end the disparity,” Odedina said. “Today, being a black male is one of the three primary, non-modifiable risk factors confirmed for prostate cancer. We, as scientists and researchers, owe it to the community to find answers and therefore solutions.”

Director of community outreach at the UF Prostate Disease Center, Odedina is an expert in prostate cancer who focuses on efforts to promote prevention and early detection behaviors among black men. She also is committed to the idea of equal partnership between communities and academic institutions to eliminate prostate cancer disparities.

“The problem of health inequality for prostate cancer is a situation that no physician should be satisfied with,” said Johannes W. Vieweg, M.D., F.A.C.S., chair of the UF department of urology. “In Florida, we have established a Prostate Disease Center with a vision of building a collaborative network of programs that leverage the tremendous advances of biomedical research for the improvement of prostate cancer care, research and education.”

Levi H. McIntosh Jr., Ed.D, vice president of operations for 100 Black Men of Jacksonville Inc., sees the conference as an opportunity for exchange — the scientific community will share its research and findings, and the general community will share its collective experiences, thoughts and feelings.

“Both sides have enormous information to offer, and I am confident that together, we can fight this disease and the disparity as one,” McIntosh said.

Also serving as the national evaluation chair for 100 Black Men of America Inc., McIntosh is the program coordinator of APEL Health Services, a faith-based, nonprofit organization that provides an array of free health screenings, including HIV/AIDS, diabetes, prostate and colorectal cancer screenings, in the underrepresented communities in Jacksonville.

The conference, made possible by a grant awarded by the National Cancer Institute, is expected to become a biennial event. The inaugural theme, “Bridging Gaps through Research, Education, and Outreach Worldwide,” will feature delegates from North America, South America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, who will share their latest findings in the cause, prevention, intervention and survival of prostate cancer.

A keynote address will be made by John Carpten, Ph.D., director of the Integrated Cancer Genomics Division of the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The conference is divided into workshops, poster presentations, plenary sessions, a patient/survivor symposium, a provider symposium and a community-academic town hall forum.

To register for the conference, please go to http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/gpc/, or call the University of Florida Conference Department at 352-392-1701.