04 Nov Increasing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cancer Care Workforce

By Peggy Eastman, Oncology Times

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) hosted a policy summit at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to highlight the need for more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the cancer care workforce. The summit featured a keynote talk on DEI initiatives at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and panelists from varied backgrounds sharing their experiences and ideas on the need for DEI in the workplace.

Implementing DEI in the workforce is the right thing to do, but it “is not easy to do,” said Clifford Goodman, PhD, a health care consultant who served as moderator for the summit. He called the array of challenges and issues surrounding DEI “highly politically sensitive.” An undercurrent at the summit was the reality of an impending presidential election whose outcome is certain to affect federal DEI initiatives and legislative decisions on DEI, speakers noted. Read more…