The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California has partnered with Novartis to reduce healthcare disparities and eliminate barriers to breast cancer screening for women in underserved communities in Los Angeles County.
The collaboration emphasizes early detection of breast cancer, specifically reaching those in communities were quality healthcare has been limited. Leaders from USC are currently working to connect community members from medically underserved areas to treatment at comprehensive cancer care centers, which typically have significantly higher survival rates and lower mortality risks than other facilities.
In addition to providing direct care, the partnership will also focus on leveraging data science to identify where gaps in access to care exist and which communities are more impacted compared to state and national benchmarks. Through this research as well as personal insights from patients’ healthcare experiences and challenges, the team at USC plans to develop community-driven strategies to increase awareness of available resources for local women.
“The most effective research with the potential to change lives for the better doesn’t take place in a silo — it involves many brilliant minds working together,” said Caryn Lerman, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We are confident this collaboration between USC and Novartis will produce invaluable results for our communities who are waiting for and deserve improved access to care.”