Spirit of EAGLES: Lifting an unequal burden of cancer

Cancer Information Service encourages Center participation in national conference on cancer concerns of American Indian and Alaskan Natives

Photo by Lillian Furlong Nancy Zbaren is project director for the Cancer Information Service, a Center-based, National Cancer Institute-funded program that works to provide accurate cancer education and reduce cancer disparities in underserved communities.

With the lowest five-year cancer survival rate of any ethnic group in the country, American Indians and Alaska Natives confront daily the unequal burden of cancer. Today, a nationwide effort is under way to increase education about cancer prevention and early detection to improve the low rate of survival.

Spirit of EAGLES, a community program funded by the National Cancer Institute's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, is dedicated to reducing cancer health disparities in native populations. As part of their ongoing efforts to stimulate dialogue on cancer-related issues faced by native populations, Spirit of EAGLES will host its seventh national conference Sept. 5-8 in Minneapolis.

The conference will provide opportunities for those interested in the health of native populations to hear from experts in the field. It will focus on evaluating progress through partnerships in cancer epidemiology, cancer control and cancer survival among native populations in the United States. Nancy Zbaren, of the Cancer Information Service, encourages Hutchinson Center participation. "The wealth of information that will be presented at this conference will be quite valuable for us to bring back to the Center. We would like faculty and staff to know that this opportunity exists, and we welcome their involvement," Zbaren said.

The unique relationship between the Spirit of EAGLES and the Cancer Information Service, both NCI-funded programs with staff housed at the Center, provides an excellent opportunity for collaboration at the programmatic level. Each of these entities is devoted to providing accurate cancer education to underserved populations in an effort to reduce cancer health disparities and make a difference in the lives of those living under the burden of cancer.

For more information about the conference, Spirit of EAGLES or the Cancer Information Service, please contact Nancy Zbaren at (206) 667-6393 or nzbaren@fhcrc.org. For more information about other NCI-funded programs, visit www.cancer.gov.

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