Improving the delivery of breast cancer care

TheoryLab

Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, was recently named an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor for the seminal contributions she’s made to the field of cancer health services research. Her contributions to the field are so wide ranging and impactful, they defy summary. From identifying patients who are at risk of receiving poor cancer care and intervening to improve their outcomes, to conducting trials to improve patients’ compliance with care, to examining strategies to manage cancer-related toxicities, Dr. Hershman’s work has had a remarkable impact on cancer patients’ quality of care and quality of life. She has also been a leader in health equity and cancer disparities, demonstrating why Black cancer patients may have worse outcomes and improving clinical trial recruitment and retention of Black patients. Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, is Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center. 3:49 – What kinds of things can stand in the way of patients receiving optimal cancer therapy? 8:01 – On breast cancer patients who are more at risk than others for poor treatment and outcomes 11:55 – On what the cancer treatment community should be doing NOW to improve quality of care for breast cancer patients and narrow disparities 15:12 – On the many different ways we could improve quality of life for breast cancer patients 18:36 – Why QOL issues can be challenging for patients and physicians 23:07 – On the significant impact that the expense of cancer treatment can have on breast cancer patients, and possible cost reduction strategies 26:02 – On what she hopes to accomplish with her new American Cancer Society ACS funding… 28:09 – …and how she hopes her research could help patients 29:44 – How organizations such as the American Cancer Society could help disseminate her findings 32:19 – A message she’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors and caregivers