Promoting breast cancer screening in an American Indian community in the US: The Native Women’s Health Project

by Dr Eleni Tolma, Associate Professor in Clinical Population and Public Health, UNIC Medical School

BRIEF SUMMARY

Breast cancer is an important public health issue among the Native American community in the US. This presentation will cover the journey- from inception to evaluation and sustainability- of a culturally-sensitive intervention promoting breast cancer screening in a rural tribal community in Oklahoma. The presentation will end with the discussion of implications for research and practice in the area of prevention and early detection of breast cancer at the local and global levels, with emphasis on decreasing breast cancer related disparities.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dr Tolma received her undergraduate degree in Pharmacy from Duquesne University (USA) upon earning a scholarship from AMIDEAST/Fulbright Commission. She continued her graduate studies at the University of South Carolina ( USA) where she received her MPH and PhD degrees in the field of Public Health with concentration in Health Promotion, Education and Behaviour. Her main research interests include the promotion of early detection of breast cancer, especially among minority populations, and the promotion of positive youth development as a mechanism of decreasing risk-taking youth behaviours.