UChicago Medicine has unveiled a new center dedicated to combating inequities in cancer prevention and care delivery. The move comes as cancer incidence rates on Chicago's South Side, where the academic health system's flagship medical center is located, are expected to jump 12% in the next decade.
The Center to Eliminate Cancer Inequity — or CinEQUITY (pronounced "see inequity") — will serve as a hub for researchers and providers to advance progress in eliminating cancer disparities, according to a Feb. 16 news release sent to Becker's. Leaders at the center will also work closely on engaging community partners to identify research priorities and measure progress.
"The mission of CinEQUITY is to codesign solutions with our community that shatter disparities in cancer prevention and care," Jasmin Tiro, PhD, who will serve as the center's director, said in a news release. "Our guiding vision is of a future where every individual, regardless of background or circumstance, has equitable outcomes when preventing, treating and surviving cancer," said Dr. Tiro, who is also a professor of public health services at UChicago Medicine.
In September, UChicago Medicine broke ground on an $815 million project that will mark the city's first freestanding facility dedicated to cancer care and research. The 575,000-square-foot facility is slated to open in 2027 and builds off the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of two National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive centers in Illinois.
UChicago Medicine has launched numerous initiatives focused on different areas of health equity in recent years. In November, it named Sarosh Rana, MD, to serve as its first chief obstetrical transformation officer — a role that stands out as among the first C-level health system positions to address a distinct form of health equity.
"We really need to create patient-centered processes and involve our community partners," Dr. Rana previously told Becker's. "Involve your community partners. Involve your federally qualified health centers. Involve your safety net hospitals and create systems which will benefit and will create a kind of safety net for all patients."
Read more about UChicago Medicine's plan to close gaps in maternal care here.