Advocacy, Access, and the Fight for Equity
Multiple myeloma disproportionately affects Black Americans, who represent 20 percent of all patients, yet their symptoms are too often dismissed.
When Elijah Alexander complained of severe foot pain, doctors repeatedly attributed it to his football career rather than running the simple blood work that could have caught his cancer sooner.
In this urgent and informative keynote, Kimberly draws on insight shared in her exclusive interview with Tom Brokaw on NBC’s Dateline chronicling the harrowing story of her husband's delayed diagnosis and her subsequent 20-year fight for health equity. She provides a roadmap for patients, caregivers, and organizations to recognize biases, advocate fiercely, and demand a higher standard of care.
Kimberly shares hard truths about bias in medicine, and the tools patients and caregivers need to demand to be heard.
Understanding the Disconnect: A hard look at the systemic barriers and biases that cause symptoms in minority patients to be overlooked or dismissed.
The Power of the Patient Voice: Actionable tools for patients and caregivers to become their own best advocates, demand second opinions, and refuse to be ignored.
Demystifying Clinical Trials: Why diverse participation in clinical research is critical, and how to overcome fear in marginalized communities to ensure they are "part of the cure".
The Empowered Care Partner: How communities and organizations can build better support systems for the unsung heroes managing a loved one's care.