Honored to Make D.C. Better
Lucile Adams-Campbell, professor of oncology and senior associate dean for community outreach and engagement, was named a 2018 Washingtonian of the Year.
The Washingtonian magazine annual honor is bestowed on individuals who have made significant, measurable contributions to the city’s health, welfare, community service, and cultural richness. Adams-Campbell was selected for her exceptional outreach work in the community to address a critical need: health disparities affecting minorities.
The District of Columbia has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the U.S., and African-Americans are at the greatest risk. This is unacceptable, says Adams-Campbell, a D.C. native and the first African American woman in the country to earn a PhD in epidemiology. Through Georgetown Lombardi’s Office of Minority Health (OMH) and Capital Breast Care Center (CBCC), she addresses gaps in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment among minority populations.
The greatest health disparities exist in southeast D.C., where the population is approximately 90 percent African-American. Led by Adams-Campbell, the OMH and CBCC offices there are staffed by nurse practitioners and community health educators who are experts in cancer epidemiology, health communications, exercise physiology, and nutrition. They promote evidence-based nutrition and physical activity interventions to reduce the impact of health disparities.
Part of the OMH, the CBCC has provided over 16,000 women throughout the Washington, D.C., area with cancer screenings since 2004. The CBCC also offers culturally sensitive patient navigation and health education, empowering minority women—often grossly underrepresented in research studies—to make more informed decisions about their health.
“It has been an honor and privilege to work on behalf of D.C. residents through a leading institution and with dedicated colleagues who truly embody our commitment to justice,” Adams-Campbell says. “As long as health disparities continue to impact populations in this city, we have more work to do.”
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