The Journal Nature celebrates two decades of advancements in cancer research with the publication of Milestones in Cancer, which includes a feature on the work of Dr. Sulma Mohammed, professor of cancer biology in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology.
Dr. Mohammed’s work is highlighted in a video discussing global inequities in cancer. While cancer can affect everyone, certain people, because of either their gender, race, education, or socio-economic status see worse outcomes from cancer. Access to cancer screening, as well as the quality of patients’ lives after treatment, and biology all play a role. Dr. Mohammed’s research looks at ways to understand and tackle these cancer health inequities, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the video, which runs about 5:45, Dr. Mohammed specifically describes her research into health disparities in breast and cervical cancer in Sudan. “The major milestone I think that we have achieved in cancer disparity is the acknowledgement that cancer disparity exists,” Dr. Mohammed says at the conclusion of the video. “And there is a focus now to understand it and try to work and to see how we can help eliminate this cancer disparity. For future milestones, we want to invest in young scientists, to invest in clinical trials and build cancer research. And very important is expanding the diversity in biological reagents that we use in cancer research, that could broaden our understanding of cancer.”
Click here to watch Dr. Mohammad’s video. Click here to view a timeline of cancer milestones over the past two decades.