FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 02/22/2022
Shaw University Receives $60,000 Grant from ‘CEO Roundtable on Cancer’ to Reduce Health Inequities
RALEIGH, N.C. – Shaw University’s School of Business and Professional Studies received a $60,000 renewable grant from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer to support a community engagement program that focuses on reducing health inequities. The grant provides resources to encourage activity that will improve healthy outcomes among populations in the area who are disproportionately affected by cancer. The Shaw University Center for Racial and Social Justice is also a supporting partner of this initiative.
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer’s Going for Gold program is a multi-year initiative in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, global health care companies spearheaded by CEO Roundtable on Cancer members Amgen and Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada), along with analytics leader SAS. With a focus on improving health equity, education, navigation, and access, the program has the capacity to impact more than 20 million lives within 7-10 years. The mission of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer is to make continual progress toward the elimination of cancer as a personal disease and public health problem through initiatives that reduce the risk of cancer, enable early diagnosis, facilitate access to treatment, and hasten the discovery of effective therapies.
During February, National Cancer Prevention Awareness Month, Dr. Lynette Wood, Dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies, announced that, “One of our major priorities is pursuing CEO Cancer Gold Standard employer accreditation.” Gold Standard employer recognition is extended to universities that champion health and well-being by advancing prevention, diagnosis, and quality treatment of cancer for students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and communities. “We are committed to encouraging our community to take action to reduce the risk of cancer in the Black population; and, therefore, have launched our Wellness 4 All program,” Wood said. To support that effort, the university is sponsoring a community 5K Cancer Awareness Run/Walk on March 30, 2022. Barbara Powell-Jackson, the university’s gold community engagement coordinator, said that the interest level is high for this inaugural event.
Dr. Paulette Dillard, President of Shaw University, said, “Shaw University is proud to partner with the CEO Roundtable on Cancer and help spearhead a national movement to improve positive health outcomes in our communities. The collaborative work between our two organizations can serve as a model to build a national framework that educates minority communities, in particular, about cancer prevention, early detection, and increasing access to clinical trials and treatment facilities.”
Shaw University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the first historically Black institution of higher education founded in North Carolina and is among the oldest in the nation. The University was founded in 1865 by Henry Martin Tupper. Dr. Paulette Dillard currently serves as the University's 18th President. For more information, visit: www.shawu.edu
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