Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Distinguished Lecture Series

About this event

Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Distinguished Lecture Series

Centering Community in Cancer Research

Carmen E. Guerra, M.D., MSCE, FACP

Ruth C. and Raymond G. Perelman Professor of Medicine

Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, Abramson Cancer Center

Ramond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Friday, December 4th | Noon

ZOOM Virtual

Meeting ID: 933 5466 0072

Passcode: 418884

Hosted by: David Gerber M.D.

About Dr. Carmen Guerra:

Carmen Guerra, MD, MSCE FACP is the Ruth C. and Raymond G. Perelman Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Guerra is a general internist and health equity researcher. She is also the Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Medicine, an Advisory Dean of medical students in the Dr. Helen O. Dickens House, and the Associate Director of Diversity and Outreach for the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) where she also co-leads Community Outreach and Engagement.

Dr. Guerra and her team have led dissemination and implementation research of breast and colorectal cancer screening interventions, including patient navigation, and colorectal cancer “Screen to Save” and “Flu-FIT” programs, which have engaged more than 5,000 underserved, minority Philadelphia residents in cancer screening. These efforts contributed to the increase in colorectal cancer screening and screening mammography rates in Philadelphia.

Dr. Guerra is the PI of several studies aimed at increasing the participation of Black and Hispanic patients in cancer clinical trials, including the development and evaluation of the Abramson Cancer Center Clinical Trials Ambassador Program which provides peer-to-peer education to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (funded by Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation and Genentech). She is a PI for a multi-site implementation study of the Lazarex Foundation’s Improving Patient Access to Cancer Clinical Trials (IMPACT), a patient financial reimbursement program for cancer clinical trial related travel expenses being conducted at the ACC, MD Anderson and UT Southwestern cancer centers. Dr. Guerra also co-led a national initiative by ASCO and ACCC that produced the first unconscious bias training for cancer researchers, Just Ask, and a site self-assessment instrument to support equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trials. Dr. Guerra is currently determining the impact of the Just Ask unconscious bias training in the recommendation of trials by breast cancer research teams.

At the national level, Dr. Guerra serves as the American Cancer Society (ACS) Board Scientific Officer for the National Board of Directors, and on several ACS committees including the Mission Outcomes, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Clinical Guideline Development Committees. She has authored numerous articles including the current American Cancer Society’s colorectal cancer screening guidelines, which reduced the starting age for screening to 45, the cervical cancer screening guidelines which allow for screening with HPV testing alone (without a Pap smear) and the current HPV vaccination guidelines. These publications widely influence current clinical practice.

https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g275/p10150