President's Cancer Panel

Tag social media posts with #NationalCancerPlan, #CancerMoonshot, and #Every1HasARole to join the conversation.

The President’s Cancer Panel convened a meeting with stakeholders from across the cancer community on September 7, 2023. Representatives from research institutions, professional associations, and nonprofit organizations came together to share progress toward the eight goals of the National Cancer Plan, identify barriers to advancement, and strategize solutions. Each invited organization gave a brief presentation and answered questions from the three members of the Panel, which is charged with monitoring implementation of the National Cancer Plan.

Common themes and priority areas that emerged during presentations and discussion included:

• Recruiting and retaining a diverse cancer research and care workforce
• Providing accessible care regardless of a patient’s geographic location or insurance status
• Data sharing and interoperability
• Integrating social determinants of health into research and the cancer care continuum

One of the goals of the National Cancer Plan is to eliminate inequities. Presenters emphasized the multifaceted nature of health disparities, which cut across not only race and ethnicity but also geography, gender, disability, and age. Making progress toward this goal requires a similarly intersectional approach that considers the many factors that can influence a patient’s access to and engagement with care.

During the meeting, Panel members observed and highlighted potential areas of synergy between participants. The Panel would like to thank all meeting participants for sharing their important insights and progress and hopes the connections made during the meeting will grow into meaningful collaborations.

Presentations and discussion from the meeting, as well as public comments, will inform the Panel’s report to the President, which will highlight opportunities to optimize implementation of the National Cancer Plan. To submit a comment on your organization’s activities supporting the goals of the National Cancer Plan, email PresCancerPanel@mail.nih.gov. You can also tag your social media posts with #NationalCancerPlan, #CancerMoonshot, and #Every1HasARole to join the conversation. Written statements submitted before September 30, 2023, will be considered for inclusion in this year’s report; contributions provided after that date may inform the Panel’s reports in the future.

A recording of the meeting is available now. The meeting summary will be available on the President’s Cancer Panel website this winter.

Separately, the Panel will also engage stakeholders this autumn through a meeting series titled “Reducing Cancer Care Inequities: Leveraging Technology to Enhance Patient Navigation.” For more information and to register, click here.