Breast Cancer Mortality in Memphis: A Holistic Approach - Research Findings and Strategies for Improved Outcomes in Segregated Communities

Authors

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change

Abstract

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change (Hooks Institute) is pleased to present its tenth edition of the policy papers, which focuses on breast health outcomes for women living in racially segregated commu-nities. The research that informed the articles in this publication, as well as this volume of the policy papers itself, was funded by a 2022 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant was awarded to a team of researchers that included Shelley White-Means, PhD (Principal Investigator); Arash Shaban-Nejad, MSc, MPH, PhD and Minghui Li, MSc, PhD (Co-Investigators) at University of Tennessee Health Science Cen-ter (UTHSC); and Jill Dapremont, EdD (Co-Investigator), Loewenberg College of Nursing, University of Mem-phis (UofM); and the authors of the other papers in this edition. Black Women with breast cancer are more likely to die than their White counterparts. The research and background information provided by the authors lay the groundwork for understanding this alarming result. Drs. White-Means and Dapremont served as the guest editors of this edition. They collaborated with Dr. Elena Delavega, Professor in the UofM School of Social Work, and Daphene R. McFerren, JD, Executive Director of the UofM Hooks Institute, as well as other contributing researchers, to produce articles grounded in sound scientific research. These articles are written to be accessible to a broad audience, including individuals, elected officials, medical professionals, and others with a vested interest in women’s health and healthy com-munities. Accordingly, this publication is intended for scholarly, medical, and lay audiences alike.

Recommended Citation

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change (2026) "Breast Cancer Mortality in Memphis: A Holistic Approach - Research Findings and Strategies for Improved Outcomes in Segregated Communities," The Hooks Institute Policy Papers: Vol. 2026, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/hookspolicypapers/vol2026/iss1/1