Dr. Harold Freeman and Dr. Lovell Jones on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Now that the SCOTUS has upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional, where do we go from here? For many doctors, scientists, educators,and social activist, they will continue to address healthcare issues for the voiceless in our country and around the world. In the United States, the health of our economy is directly tied to health of millions of uninsured Americans in every state of the union. As America tries to recover in the world's financial marketplace, we must address the plight of the medically undeserved in our county, without political talking points, by hearing from individuals whose mission is to fight disparities.

For the next several weeks, Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes will feature many keynotes, panel participants, non-profits, cancer survivors, and students from the 25th Anniversary of the Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Undeserved and Health Equity. They will address next steps, community engagements, healthcare issues that are persistent and best practices that are helping to eliminate health disparities.

On Saturday, July 14, 2012, we will kick off this series with two forerunners in the fields of medicine, science, education, and research; Dr. Lovell Jones and Dr. Harold P. Freeman. Dr. Lovell Jones is the co-founder of the Intercultural Cancer Council. Dr. Jones was recently awarded The Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award and was honored this week by the NAACP with the Unsung Hero Award for his work with cancer prevention in the African American community.

Dr. Harold P. Freeman founded and pioneered the concept of patient navigation in 1990 for the purpose of eliminating barriers to timely cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care. It has since evolved to include the timely movement of an individual across the entire health care continuum from prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive, to end-of-life care. Dr. Freeman is also founding president of the state-of-the-art Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention located in East Harlem.

Living Your Best Life, radio that empowers, inspires, and motivates you to live your BEST life, is heard on 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, military bases and lived streamed at Ustream.TV from 9-10AM CST.

More About Dr. Lovell Jones

Director
The Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research (CHEER),
Office of the Vice President for Cancer Prevention & Population Sciences,
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson)

Director
Reproductive Biology Program
Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences
The University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston

Professor
Department of Health Disparities Research, MD Anderson
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, MD Anderson
Graduate School of Social Works, University of Houston

Other
Chair, Health Disparities Education, Awareness, Research & Training (HDEART) Consortium
Cofounder, Intercultural Cancer Council
Founder, Biennial Symposium Series on Minorities, the Medically Underserved & Cancer
Principal Investigator, SECURE Gulf Coast Consortium

Dr. Jones is the founding co-chair of the Intercultural Cancer Council, the nation’s largest multicultural health policy group focused on minorities, the medically underserved and cancer. He has edited "Minorities & Cancer," one of the few comprehensive textbooks on this subject. He is the founding chair of "Minorities, the Medically Underserved and Cancer," the nation’s largest multicultural conference which provides a forum for exchanging the latest scientific and treatment information. This biennial conference brings together people from all ethnic communities and social strata to share strategies for reducing the incidence of cancer among these populations. Dr. Jones spearheaded regional hearings on cancer and the poor for the American Cancer Society. In 2002, Dr. Jones, along with Dr. Armin Weinberg, the other co-founder of the Intercultural Cancer Council, received the Humanitarian Award from the American Cancer Society.

From 1989 to 1995, Dr. Jones was co-principal investigator of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer, the first major minority outreach project sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. He has served on the board of directors of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Prostate Health Council of the American Foundation for Urologic Diseases. Dr. Jones also served on the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable for Environmental Health Sciences, Research and Medicine and on the Environmental Protection Agency's Scientific Advisory Panel. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for The Benjamin Banneker Institute for Science and Technology and the Partnership for Prevention as well as a number of other national advisory committees.

In 1991, Dr. Jones chaired the Training Session of the Strategic Fact-Finding Meetings on Minority Health and Training in Biomedical Sciences for the Office of the Associate Director for Research on Minority Health (now the National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NCMHD) at the NIH. He also participated in a 1994 review of the activities of the Office of Research on Minority Health at NIH. A co-author of the congressional resolution that designated the third week in April as "National Minority Cancer Awareness Week," Dr. Jones was honored in May 2000 on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives for his work addressing health disparities among the underserved.

He has served on the Breast Cancer Integration Panel for the Department of Defense and has published over 100 scientific articles on subjects ranging from hormonal carcinogenesis to health policy. His work with estrogen has led to major findings, including the discovery that compounds labeled as weak environmental estrogens may cause adverse effects when exposure occurs during a critical time of development. Because of these results, researchers have begun to rethink when they define environmental estrogens as weak.

In founding the Health Disparities, Education, Awareness, Research & Training (HDEART) Consortium, the efforts are now extending globally. As part of this web page, you will find more information on the effort of HDEART and its attempt to address health disparities utilizing the "Biopsychosocial Model".
Education and Training

Ford Foundation Fellow, Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley
PhD, University of California at Berkeley. Field: Zoology. Emphasis: Endocrinology and Tumor Biology
Postdoctoral Fellow, Reproductive Endocrinology Center, University of California at San Francisco

Research Interests

The relationship between hormones, diet and endocrine-responsive tumors
How natural and environmental estrogenic agents may initiate cancers in hormonally responsive tissue
Dr. Jones’ group published the first report of a cultured, immature, mammary gland cell line with a functioning estrogen receptor. This research may allow scientists to study how breast cancer cells respond to environmental estrogens
For more about Dr. Jones Current Research and more click here.

More About Dr. Harold P. Freeman

Present Positions
President and Founder of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention and New York

Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD
Chief Architect of the American Cancer Society initiative on Cancer in the Poor
Director of Howard University
Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery
Professor of Clinical Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
Medical Director of the Breast Examination Center of Harlem, a program of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, since 1979
Trustee of Howard University Hospital since 1993
Elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1997

Past Positions
Chief of Surgery and President of the Cancer Center at North General Hospital
Founding Director of the National Cancer Institute Center (NCI) to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (2000-2005); also Associate Director of NCI during that time
Served as President and Chief Executive Officer of North General Hospital in New York City
Served as National President of the American Cancer Society, 1988-1989
Served as Chairman of the President's Cancer Panel, having been appointed for four terms, first by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, and by President Clinton in 1994, 1997, and 2000
Served as Director of Surgery at Harlem Hospital Center for 25 years (1974-1999)

Awards & Recognitions
Honorary Doctor of Science degrees have been awarded to Dr. Freeman from Albany Medical College, Niagara University, Adelphi University, and Catholic University of America. He was also awarded the University of California at San Francisco Medal. Other selected awards include: The Mary Lasker Award for Public Service; the Time, Inc. International Health and Medical Media Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award; the American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor; the CDC Foundation's Champion of Prevention Award; the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's "Jill Rose Award," the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Special Recognition Award; the Avon Breast Cancer National Leadership Award; the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer National Foundation's Betty Ford Award; the International Spirit of Life Foundation and the Washington Cancer Institute's Spirit of Life Award; the Mayo Clinic Charles G. Moertel Memorial Lectureship Award; the Association of Community Cancer Centers' Achievement Award; the George Washington University Cancer Institute's Distinguished Public Service Award; the Rudin Prize in Medicine and Health; the Dorothy Height Lifetime Achievement Award; and the First Annual Medical Assembly "Humanitarian Award" at the United Nations Meeting the Global Challenge of Cancer in New York City.

Dr. Freeman was recognized by Black History Makers in 2006 with the Daniel Hale Williams Award. The American Cancer Society established the "Harold P. Freeman Award" in 1990 to recognize his work in dealing with the interrelationships between race, poverty, and cancer. This award is presented annually by American Cancer Society divisions throughout the United States to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against cancer in the poor.

Education
Dr. Freeman received an A.B. degree from the Catholic University of America, and a M.D. degree from the Howard University College of Medicine. At Catholic University, Dr. Freeman received the Harris Award for "Outstanding Scholar, Gentleman, and Athlete," and was later recognized as "Outstanding Alumnus in the Medical Arts" and inducted into the Athlete's Hall of Fame of the University. Additionally, he received the Daniel Hale Williams Award for Outstanding Achievements as Chief Resident at Howard University Hospital.

A Life Changing Encounter with a Homeless Woman

A year ago, I volunteered to help with a project for women cancer survivors. I have participated in several events over the years that were geared to help restore or uplift the spirits of cancer survivors through pampering, empowerment or patient advocacy. Diving in heart first, I was excited to volunteer to help stamp out the stigma of cancer. At this event, I met women from diverse backgrounds on various stages of their journey with their cancer diagnosis. Some of the women had recently completed their treatments and some of them were a few years down the road. Some were well known in the community and supported by family and friends. A few were still in treatment but only one was homeless.

Enter Wanda.

Wanda was in a battle for life with no place to call her own. She was referred by her oncologists who knew about the special event. When Wanda entered my makeshift dressing room, she was a bit nervous as she gave me a once over and checked out the surroundings packed with designer clothes and jewelry on loan to me from personal friends from around the country. As I introduced myself, I promised her we were going to have a fantastic time as I pulled my “stylist” title out of the box for her makeover and photo session. I shared with her about my grandfather who was the motivation for me volunteering that day. Wanda countered my icebreaker conversation with words of her own as she told me how she wanted to look. “Not shy, this one”, I thought to myself with a smile. After our intro, Wanda tried on clothes while preparing for her photo shoot. During that time together, we shared about each other lives. Wanda did not hold back her thoughts and gave me quite a few old school zingers about her observations about life from a street perspective. Her words were honesty on steroids. She shared her thoughts about “people wanting to help others when their own lives are messed up.” Hearing her priceless commentary had me roaring with laughter and deep in thought. Wanda talked about her cancer diagnosis and her chemo treatments that seemed endless. She did not hold back about the physical and mental pain. She expressed her gratefulness for the Madison Church of Christ congregation that befriended her and took her under their wings. The more I inquired about how she was taking care of herself, the more she shared about her life and background. "Cancer was the last thing on my mind,” she said softly at one point. She had seen many trials before cancer, I was told. But those trials produced one of the most courageous women I have ever met.


When she was photographed, her inner strength and beauty that I saw firsthand filled the camera lens. Wanda was radiant and proud. My tears flowed uncontrollably as the photographer kept telling her how stunning she was as he was encouraging her to give him her best smile for the camera. By the end of the shoot, Wanda was ready to sign with the Ford Modeling agency!

As we were calling the day a wrap, I introduced Wanda to my friend, Daphne, who was volunteering also. I told Wanda that Daphne was a dentist. With all the frankness that only Wanda can deliver, she pulled off her well-coiffed wig that was used in her beauty transformation and said, “A dentist! How come you did not introduce her to me first? I really need to visit her!” With a jerk of a wig, Wanda gave me a dose of reality. Just like that, Wanda told us in her own way, what her real needs were!

A homeless woman taught me to make sure "my good works" met the needs of those I am trying to serve. Giving a winter coat to a man who lives in the desert is an exercise in futility. A homeless woman showed me that true compassion and a willingness to listen to those who need to be heard should be at the heart of volunteering. A homeless woman had me reevaluating if my volunteer hours were making any difference. A homeless woman had me questioning if my "good deeds" were actually meeting real needs. It might be a city flooded or hit by a tornado or a cancer patient who has no place to lay their head: in the end, we all need each other. Listening to Wanda, I learned the importance of knowing the true need of those who I am trying to serve. Wanda taught me to listen for the real answer when I ask, "How can I help?"

I stayed in touch with Wanda and her church members. They became her adopted family and friends. They all have endless stories about the goodness of Wanda. She is well. They say she has an apartment of her own and is finishing school. Everyone that knows her tell me exactly the same thing, “Wanda changed my life!” Wanda changed my life too. Because of Wanda, I have learned nothing in life is without purpose or meaning, even an encounter with a homeless person.

Originally published on Blogcritics