Hermine Poghosyan, PhD, MPH, BSN, Associate Professor at Yale School of Nursing and Member of Yale Cancer Center, recently participated in a Q&A for National Cancer Prevention Month.
How can we prioritize cancer prevention in our daily lives?
We know that many cancers are preventable, and by making lifestyle changes it will help us to reduce our risk of getting cancer. We can prevent cancers by being active every day, avoiding tobacco use, avoiding direct sun exposure, and reducing the amount of alcohol we consume. Also, we need to get recommended screening tests such as screening for lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer, and getting vaccines for cervical cancers. Talk to your healthcare provider and make sure you are up to date with your recommended cancer screening tests.
In your experience, how can we work to overcome cancer health disparities in terms of cancer prevention?
We, researchers, need to partner with policy makers, healthcare providers and communities to make sure everyone has an equal access to high-quality preventive care services and equal opportunity to prevent cancer.