Starting in 2017, the symposium’s original name was “Voices from the Community: Bridging Communities and Research” spearheaded by Dr. Beti Thompson and the staff from the Health Disparities Research Center and Center for Community Health Promotion. It was created after identifying the need to connect researchers with key information about working with diverse populations. The hope was to create a dialogue among researchers and communities about how to make connections by understanding the importance of mutually beneficial relationships in order to build a strong foundation for working with communities.
Over the years our annual Pathways to Equity Symposium has hosted various researchers and community champions to discuss important topics related to cancer health disparities. The Symposium provides a forum for us to learn about best practices, to dialogue, and to reflect on what we can do to address cancer health disparities in a more inclusive and equitable way.