The Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved & Cancer is the main program convened by the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC). As we have done for previous Symposia, the purpose of this application is to seek funding for the 9th Biennial Symposium, scheduled for March 24-28, 2004, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. There is a disproportionate incidence morbidity and mortality among minorities and persons of low level income in the United States. Consequently, there is a critical need to develop knowledge and strategies to address this crisis with the leadership and full participation of the affected communities. The Biennial Symposia on Minorities, Medically Underserved & Cancer were initiated in 1987 to provide a multicultural forum for this purpose. The overall goals of the series in general and the 9th Symposium in particular are to (1) exchange the latest scientific and treatment information and to share strategies for reducing the disproportionate incidence of cancer morbidity and mortality among minorities and the medically underserved in the United States; (2) enhance the competency of health care providers, laypersons and survivors in the areas of primary and secondary cancer prevention, early detection and treatment; and (3) promote culturally competent cancer care and services and ethnically balanced research. Additional specific aims of the 9th Biennial Symposium will be to: (1) address topics newly identified through evaluation data from the 8th Biennial Symposium and the ongoing planning process of the ICC; and (2) provide a forum for multiple federal agencies, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to identify and discuss their responses to the unequal burden of cancer among minority and medically underserved populations. The Intercultural Cancer Council along with a distinguished roster of advisors and consultants are designing a program that will involve representatives from the continuum of cancer and minority health research, care, and policy development. The Symposium format will include scientific presentations, panel discussions, posters, audience participation in Q&A sessions, student mentoring and student presentations. There will be a multimedia educational resources center and networking opportunities. Edited proceedings of the Symposium and selected student abstracts and presentations will be published in professional journals.
