Young Black women face a higher risk of breast cancer and are often diagnosed later than their white counterparts, yet are generally unaware of overall risk. This panel will discuss how racism, bias and health inequities can affect a young Black woman's breast cancer journey in systemic and personal ways, and explore how TV storylines can raise awareness about this issue.

ZOANNE CLACK, M.D., MPH—Dr. Clack, who will serve as this panel's moderator, is a writer and executive producer on the award-winning hit ABC medical series Grey’s Anatomy. She has been with the show since it began and also acts as an adviser, assisting in production of all medical aspects of the show. She attended Northwestern University, UT Southwestern Medical School and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. She completed a residency in emergency medicine, a fellowship in injury prevention, and spent a year at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in international emergency medicine. She is a staunch advocate of promoting public health issues through the media, serving on the board or as an adviser for several global health groups that teach through entertainment. Dr. Clack currently serves as co-chair of Hollywood, Health & Society’s advisory board.

ANGELA NISSEL—Nissel is the author of the best-selling comedic memoir The Broke Diaries, about her financial struggles in college, and the critically-acclaimed Mixed, which chronicles growing up with a Black Panther mom and a very white father. She also has an extensive career as a television writer and producer, with credits that include Scrubs, The Boondocks and The Last OG. She is currently part of the creative team of ABC’s mixed-ish, a comedy that explores issues of mixed-race households. Nissel was born and raised in Philadelphia, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a medical anthropology degree. During her “broke” years she held a series of jobs including telemarketer, “sleep apnea auditor” and "girl who checks you into the drive-thru car wash."

SHONTE DRAKEFORD, MSN—Drakeford is a certified registered nurse practitioner, Army wife, farmer, German Shepherd mama and a friend to all. A 36-year-old native of Washington, D.C., Drakeford grew up in foster care. In 2015, she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, which has spread to her lungs, hip, rib, spine and lymph nodes. She also has a genetic trait for colon cancer. Drakeford's breast cancer is "triple positive"—meaning that it grows from estrogen/progesterone and the HER2 receptor. She started cancer detection early, at the age of 25, but unfortunately was denied and delayed early-detection diagnostics for six years until her current diagnosis. Her condition is terminal, and she has been surviving and advocating these past five years while living a life without fear, as positively as possible. Cancer will not stop her from her aspirations in life.

KATRINA ARMSTRONG, M.D., MSCE—Dr. Armstrong is the Jackson Professor at Harvard Medical School, and physician-in-chief, Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She’s a graduate of Yale University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and was a resident and chief resident in medicine at Johns Hopkins. She completed a general internal medicine fellowship and master of science in clinical epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also served as associate director of the Abramson Cancer Center and co-director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program. Dr. Armstrong is an internationally recognized investigator in the areas of cancer prevention and outcomes, medical decision-making, and quality of care. In addition to her career in health policy and disparities research, Dr. Armstrong is a dedicated practicing internist.

TEMEIKA FAIRLEY, Ph.D.—Fairley is a senior health scientist with the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. She earned her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Vermont in 2001, and is a graduate of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service program. Her work focuses on areas related to cancer surveillance and data use, cancer survivorship, and program management. Fairley currently leads efforts to implement the provisions of the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act, which provides support for young women who are at-risk for breast cancer, or who have been diagnosed with the disease. One of the results of her work is the award-winning “Bring Your Brave” public health campaign that educates young women and health-care providers about breast health and breast cancer in women under 45 years of age.

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Schedule of Zoom events | beginning at 4 PM (PST) / 7 PM (ET):

March 25: Changing the story of poverty, prosperity & opportunity
May 6: Maternal health

Young Black Women Facing Racism, Bias—and Breast Cancer