Yesterday, I appeared on Fox News to talk about why black women are 42% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.
For African American women, the risk of contracting breast cancer is now slightly lower than for white women, but the risk of dying from breast cancer is higher.
As I highlighted in the segment, the difference in survivorship outcomes is most often due to socio-economic factors (e.g. reliable transportation, lack of insurance, child care, limited days off for treatment, cultural distrust of the medical profession, etc), rather than biological ones.
Systematic barriers within the health care system, such as lack of mammogram availability in poorer areas, poor processes for following up with women with suspicious mammograms at local hospitals, and the concentration of radiologists who have completed breast fellowships at academic hospitals in affluent areas are also at play.
In addition to my speaking engagements, we have also released a limited edition, pink label Green Tea Super Moist Leave in Conditioner to support breast cancer research and early detection education.
It has been a blessing to be able to use my role as a CEO and this company’s platform to continue to give voice to these issues.
Stay natural,
