In September, Atlanta-based Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University launched a mobile prostate cancer screening program in collaboration with New York City based-Mount Sinai Health System.
The program was made possible through funding from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, according to a Sept. 2 news release from the health system.
The Winship Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Program bus is equipped to administer PSA blood tests, the first step in prostate cancer detection.
The program’s launch event was attended by public figures and professional athletes, including Montell Jordan, Chris Draft and Fred Blankenship. Ash Tewari, MD, founder of Mount Sinai’s mobile screening program, also attended.
“I founded this initiative to bring prostate cancer screening directly to the communities that need it most. Since launching our first mobile unit in New York, Mount Sinai has screened more than 11,000 men, about 20 percent of whom, importantly, required follow-up,” Dr. Tewari said in the release.
Suresh Ramalingam, MD, executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute, and Martin Sanda, MD, director of Winship’s prostate cancer program, spoke to Becker’s about the health system’s decision to invest in a mobile screening program and the role public figures and community partnerships can play in improving cancer screening rates.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: Why did Winship decide to invest in a mobile model for prostate cancer screening, as opposed to expanding more traditional clinic-based programs?
Dr. Suresh Ramalingam: Clinic-based screening reaches only those who already have access, transportation and trust in the system. The mobile model flips that by bringing care directly into communities. With generous financial support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and by building upon proven success from Mount Sinai’s mobile screening program in New York, our team at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University saw an opportunity to remove barriers and make prostate cancer screening as accessible as possible to the men who need it most.
This new program is more than just a screening bus — it represents a commitment to prevention, awareness and community partnerships to improve outcomes for all. We also see this as a model that can be scaled and adapted beyond prostate cancer to strengthen community-based care in other areas of cancer prevention, early detection and public health.
Dr. Martin Sanda: The big picture is that prostate cancer is a very sizable health problem. Despite a lot of tools being available to either eliminate or control prostate cancer, we don’t do that effectively on a nationwide or community-wide scale. The rate of prostate cancer deaths remains stubbornly unacceptable. We’re talking about 30,000 to 40,000 deaths per year from prostate cancer, and a lot of which could be prevented if men underwent screening.
PSA screening, even though it’s imperfect, provides important clues that can open the door to catching prostate cancer early and potentially prevent death.
In the past, cancer centers were the ivory tower. Patients had to find their way there. But that’s not today’s perspective. There’s a responsibility to step into the community, not just for prostate cancer but for cancer care in general, to take down misunderstandings, to raise awareness about screening, and to make detection and care convenient
Q: How do you see partnerships becoming more essential to tackling disparities in cancer screening?
SR: No single institution can solve these disparities alone. Philanthropy provides the resources, health systems bring the expertise and community organizations build the trust. When these forces align, we can create programs that are stronger, more sustainable and more deeply connected to the people they serve.
Q: Black men in Georgia face some of the nation’s highest incidence and mortality rates from prostate cancer. Why do you think existing health systems have struggled to close this gap?
MS: There are barriers to screening being embraced by men. One barrier is a mixed message from healthcare organizations. Some of those mixed messages are based on how prostate cancer was approached 10 to 15 years ago, when there was some overtreatment of cancers that may not have required aggressive therapy.
Another issue is the stigma for men: “If I’m diagnosed, what does that mean for my sex life?” That’s a real fear. A big part of the screening endeavor is opening that conversation.
Being diagnosed with prostate cancer doesn’t necessarily mean a negative impact on quality of life. Men should feel empowered to be part of the decision-making process about how their cancer is managed.
Today, we know that every cancer picked up may not necessarily need treatment. Many can be monitored, but the more aggressive ones are important to treat. If we approach screening with a modern-day perspective, we stand to make an impact. The key is individualizing what happens after screening.
SR: Traditional models rely on patients coming to us, but men at highest risk often face barriers like awareness, cost, transportation and stigma. That has contributed to the persistent gap in outcomes for Black men. A mobile clinic builds trust by meeting men where they live, work, worship and gather, signaling that their health matters and their community is a priority. That visibility and accessibility are critical to changing the narrative.
Q: This launch included community leaders, celebrities and even the Atlanta Falcons. How have you seen these partnerships influence trust, amplify public health messages and ultimately improve patient participation?
SR: When trusted figures, whether they are faith leaders, athletes or local officials, stand alongside physicians and scientists, it reinforces the message that we are all aligned in addressing this important problem. The presence of community leaders and the Falcons created excitement, but more importantly, it amplified the seriousness of the message. We hope that this combination of visibility and trust will encourage men to take the first step to get screened, which will allow more people to detect prostate cancer before it spreads, and motivate them to get timely treatment to improve outcomes.
Q: Do you see mobile screening as a bridge strategy or could this model evolve into the “new normal?”
SR: I see mobile screening as an important adjunct to conventional screening. In the short term, it closes gaps in access and trust. The future of cancer prevention must be flexible, accessible and rooted in equity, and mobile care will remain an essential tool in that effort.
MS: At Emory, there’s been a lot of movement in the last decade to extend into the community with more inpatient and ambulatory sites, going where the care needs to be. There is an impact just from raising awareness and visibility of prostate cancer by going into the community. That helps overcome hesitation among men and their families to even talk about it.
At Winship and in Emory Urology, we’ve built a vibrant prostate cancer program. We already treat over 2,000 men per year across our locations. We take that responsibility seriously. Through screening efforts, we hope to see men earlier when their disease is caught at a more treatable stage.
