The Central Commonwealth Black Caucus (CCBC) Joins the American Cancer Society in Encouraging Black Women to Use Their Voices to Improve Health

FOR RELEASE: February 28, 2026

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Michael Bush, Chief Operations Officer

Central Commonwealth Black Caucus

Email: mail@ccbc4me.org

Website: www.ccbc4me.org

The Central Commonwealth Black Caucus (CCBC) Joins the American Cancer Society in Encouraging Black Women to Use Their Voices to Improve Health

Equity

With a goal of enrolling over 100,000 Black women, the American Cancer Society’s groundbreaking

VOICES of Black Women® study focuses on gaining more insight into lived experiences to improve health

outcomes for the next generation.

Spotsylvania, VA February 27, 2026 – Despite significant strides in cancer research, Black women

continue to have the highest death rate and the shortest survival of any racial or ethnic group in the

U.S. for most cancers. For generations, Black women have also not been equally included in important

health research, resulting in a lack of information specific to this population’s health. Today, The

Central Commonwealth Black Caucus is proud to join the American Cancer Society in addressing these

issues by encouraging Black women to enroll in the VOICES of Black Women study to use their voices for change.

Set to be the largest behavioral and environmental focused population study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women in the United States, the VOICES of Black Women® study is partnering with this community to listen and better understand the diverse lived experiences that may affect the risk of developing or dying from cancer. Black women who live in the U.S., are between the ages of 25 and 55 years of age, and have never been diagnosed with cancer are eligible to participate. No medication, clinical testing, treatment, or lifestyle changes are part of the study. Enrolled participants provide informed consent and answer behavioral, environmental, and lived experience questions through periodic short surveys delivered via a secure online portal.The Central Commonwealth Black Caucus is partnering with the American Cancer Society to help recruit study participants and strengthen efforts to build a comprehensive inventory of Black healthdata. Our goal is to support evidence-based research that can reduce and ultimately eradicate breast

cancer disparities within Black communities. This partnership aligns with our mission to advance the

well-being of Black residents across the Central Commonwealth and ensure that lifesaving public health initiatives reach the populations most affected.

“All Virginians deserve access to the highest quality health care. Yet too often, Black Virginians disproportionately experience gaps in care that intensify the impact of diseases such as breast cancer.

Addressing these disparities is not optional. It is a matter of equity, justice, and public responsibility.

”

— Dr. Shellie M. Bowman, Sr., Chief Executive Officer, Central Commonwealth Black Caucus

The American Cancer Society has a 70-year history of funding and conducting some of the world’s

largest and most impactful population cohort studies to understand how cancer develops in

populations, identify cancer risk factors, and improve survivorship and outcomes after diagnosis.

Through these studies, over 2.5 million research participants have contributed to landmark

discoveries in cancer science like the linkage of cigarette smoking to lung cancer, obesity to the risk of

early death, and red and processed meat intake to higher risk of colon cancer. These and other

discoveries have contributed to a 33 percent age adjusted reduction in cancer mortality rates since

rates peaked in 1991.

“Centering Black women’s voices and experiences helps us dig deeper in uncovering the unique

challenges and barriers contributing to cancer disparities,

” said Dr. Alpa Patel, co-principal investigator

of the study and senior vice president of population science at the American Cancer Society.

“The data

we uncovered through previous population studies has reduced the unacceptably high burden of

cancer, but that reduction has sadly not been equal. VOICES of Black Women® is a crucial step towards

achieving health equity in a population that is long overdue.

"

“We’re excited that the Central Commonwealth Black Caucus is joining us in this effort, and we value

the trust they’ve put in us to work alongside them to improve health outcomes,

” said Dr. Lauren

McCullough, co-principal investigator of the study and Senior Scientific Director of population scienceat the American Cancer Society.

“The Central Commonwealth Black Caucus’ long history of

advocating for and with the Black community extends our reach and reinforces the importance of this

effort. We hope that this collaboration encourages more Black women to join us – not just to share

data, but to help drive meaningful change from within our communities. Together, we can build the

deeper understanding needed to shape culturally responsive interventions, treatments, and

preventive care for generations to come.

”

The VOICES of Black Women study launched nationally on May 7, 2024, and is fully funded and run by

the American Cancer Society. The VOICES study team is comprised of leading scientists at the

American Cancer Society with experience in designing and leading population cohort studies. Its

Scientific Advisory Board is comprised entirely of Black women who are cross-disciplinary experts in

Black women’s health. For more information about the VOICES of Black Women® study and how to

participate, please visit voices.cancer.org.

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