The rewards of reaching out
J. Dirk Iglehart, MD
Last spring, Dana-Farber's Community Education and Outreach Program brought our health care providers to a women's homeless shelter, the South Bay Prison, a Latina women's advocacy center, and a senior citizens center. We all were moved by the experiences, and saw firsthand women's need for health information and for basic services such as mammogram screenings.
The question-and-answer sessions were wonderful: At the women's prison, it seemed as if 70 hands went up at once with questions about breast lumps, breast pain, cervical disease, and much more. After every visit, we found ourselves saying, "That was a really good thing to do. We need to do more."
And, in fact, we are committed to doing more. You will read about the new education and outreach program, led by Candace Lowe, administrative director of the Women's Cancers Program (WCP), in the pages of this issue of Turning Point.
You'll also learn how the recently established WCP Executive Council is catalyzing new research through fundraising. This group of highly motivated professional women challenged us to improve the treatments given to women with breast and ovarian cancer. Our first project funded by the council is called "Tailored Therapies for Breast Cancer." We have already assembled a team of physicians and scientists from Dana-Farber and across the Harvard and MIT communities. Other articles in Turning Point explain how DNA "gene chips" are showing us the profiles of cancer cells, how our scientists are probing the mechanism of tumor metastasis, and how Dana-Farber investigators are making sure that women participating in clinical trials feel like true partners in the process. We hope you enjoy the issue and that you catch some of the energy and commitment in the Women's Cancers Program.
J. Dirk Iglehart, MD
Director, Women's Cancers Program
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Chief, Surgical Oncology
Brigham and Women's Hospital
