What scaling back DEI could mean for cancer care: NPR

Some cancer researchers are concerned the federal government’s efforts to scale back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives will affect the industry’s larger goal of eliminating cancer, according to a March 21 NPR report.

Their concerns stem from a Jan. 20 executive order instructing federal government agencies — including the National Institutes of Health, which helps fund cancer research — to remove DEI initiatives.

Folasade May, MD, PhD, associate director of the Los Angeles-based Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity at UCLA Health’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, told NPR the NIH used to require inclusion of equity and disparity information in grant applications. Now, researchers are omitting details in their grants in hopes the work will not get “flagged or torn down,” she said. 

Electra Paskett, PhD, program leader of the cancer control program at Columbus-based Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Ohio State University and director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity at the James Cancer Hospital, told NPR she had reached out to the NIH for clarification on the issue. However, due to a “White House gag order,” the agency was not able to respond. 

She said she worries the federal government’s new policies may roll back progress that has been made to address cancer care disparities.

Dr. May said the government may be conflating “health disparities” with race or political affiliation. 

“We have to recognize that disparities are affecting everyone, not just racial, ethnic minorities,” she told NPR. “I’ll give an example: White individuals that live in rural areas of the United States are less likely to get a screening test.”

Thomas Lynch, MD, president of Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, recently shared with Becker’s how he stays focused on Fred Hutch’s mission to prevent and eliminate cancer amid changes in the political landscape.

“As we all know, cancer does not discriminate based on political party or philosophy,” he said. “I hope that we get to that position in the future where Democrats and Republicans find that supporting cancer research makes sense for everyone.”