MUSC Hollings Cancer Center was awarded a $100,000 grant from TD Bank to expand two initiatives aimed at reducing cancer disparities in South Carolina. Both programs are led by Marvella Ford, Ph.D., associate director of the Hollings Office of Community Outreach and Engagement.
“TD Bank’s support is instrumental in helping us work toward a cancer-free South Carolina by addressing current education and screening needs and by training the next generation of cancer researchers,” Ford said. “This investment will directly impact lives across our state.”
The grant includes $85,000 to expand SC AMEN, a prostate cancer education program for African American men, and $15,000 to support SC CHEER YES, a summer research program for high school students in Charleston County.
SC AMEN has been funded by TD Bank since 2021. This program focuses on African American men, who experience nearly two times the rate of prostate cancer diagnoses and nearly three times the rate of prostate cancer deaths than the general population. It empowers participants by providing education about what prostate cancer is and how it can be detected and treated and then navigates each participant to screening and, if needed, treatment.
The program has successfully increased prostate cancer screening rates in South Carolina — 77 percent of participants to date have been screened or are scheduled to be screened, compared with a national average of 38 percent.
With this new funding from TD Bank, SC AMEN can focus more efforts on the I-95 corridor, which has a greater need for health care investment. To sharpen this focus, the program is establishing a partnership with HopeHealth, a federally qualified health center with locations in the I-95 corridor and the Pee Dee area. HopeHealth provides a broad range of services aimed at both preventing and detecting illness and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Through this new partnership, SC AMEN can expand its reach and connect more participants to cancer screening and follow-up care, as needed.
SC CHEER YES offers an opportunity for 15 to 20 students from four Charleston County schools to conduct hands-on research under the mentorship of Hollings faculty and postdoctoral fellows.
The seven-week summer program includes lectures on cancer biology, ‘how-to’ workshops on conducting research, career exploration with staff from various MUSC departments and time to work on an individual research project. Students are paired with mentors according to their future career ambitions.
The goal of the program is to build a pipeline of cancer researchers from right here in South Carolina who will be invested in solving the state’s most pressing cancer needs.
link