Black Health Matters raises awareness of prostate cancer and clinical trials - The Philadelphia Tribune

Black Health Matters, a digital health and patient engagement firm, is holding a series of educational programs to raise the awareness of prostate health.

The programs are part of the Precision Oncology initiative, which was launched in July 2019 during the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Grand Chapter meeting in Philadelphia. The initiative seeks to educate more than 5,000 men about prostate cancer and clinical trials.

The firm is hosting forums around the country, where physicians and advocates will talk to African American men about prostate cancer. By working with churches, fraternities, professional and masonic organizations, Black Health Matters seeks to engage men in health-focused conversations.

“If we start normalizing male-to-male conversations about health and wellness that’s great start,” said Roslyn Daniels, founder of Black Health Matters. “Who is really talking to guys about how the prostate is supposed to work? There are urological issues that they need to be made aware of.”

Black Health Matters is hosting a free workshop about prostate health on Feb. 29 at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Baptist Church, Men’s Ministry Church Recreation Center, 1900-04 N. 63rd St. The program will feature presentations by Dr. George Johnson, a urologist and Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins, PhD, an epidemiologist.

During the forum, physicians will address the importance of participating in clinical trials.

“African Americans as a whole aren’t participating in clinical trials enough, so we really don’t know if have of these therapies are going to work on us,” Daniels said. “Lack of participation in clinical research is really a public health issue. When segments of the population are not included in clinical trials at levels that do not meet statistical significance, it is impossible to determine if the therapy in question will work equally, better, or worse as for the population in which it is studied.”

The educational outreach comes as one in six African American men will develop prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Overall, African American men are 1.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with and 2.2 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men. African American men are also more likely than white men to be diagnosed with advanced disease.

“Understanding why African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer than men of other racial or ethnic groups is a critical, unanswered question in cancer disparities research,” National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Ned Sharpless said in a statement.

Daniels was spurred to start Black Health Matters in 2012 after the Affordable Care Act was established.

“Our goal is to build a culture of health,” she said of the firm’s mission. “Too many of us had to sacrifice our ancestors and our grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles too early because they didn’t get the information. We’re here because we are going to try to help stop that cycle and help people live healthier lives.”