Abstract B166: Achieving equity and eliminating preventable cancer disparities within racial and ethnic populations: Results of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health’s Medical Expert Panel on Preventable Cancers

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health’s Medical Expert Panel (MEP) on Preventable Cancers was to offer insight and recommendations to address preventable cancers and eliminate cancer disparities in outcomes among racial and ethnic populations in Ohio with the goal of achieving health equity. Methods: The Ohio Commission on Minority Health (OCMH) has led efforts to confront health disparities and dismantle systemic health inequities across the state and utilizes MEP’s to develop policy which can be implemented. The MEP was comprised of 33 individuals with diverse experience in healthcare policy, research, public health interventions, and clinical practice, ensuring that recommendations were grounded in evidence and attuned to the unique barriers faced by marginalized communities. This included state agency experts from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, Ohio Departments of Aging, Health, Education and Workforce, and Medicaid along with expert oncologists, healthcare systems, universities, policy institutes, ethnic health coalitions and community-based organizations. Panel members met weekly for 12 weeks to discuss the current cancer health disparities in Ohio and collaborate to develop evidence-based recommendations to help lessen cancer disparities in minority communities. Results: The MEP focused on the fact that cancer prevention among racial/ethnic minority groups is hindered by significant economic and systemic barriers, including high medical costs, lack of insurance, geographical isolation, and systemic healthcare inequities, and cancer disparities are driven by a combination of inequities within and beyond the health system that are rooted in racism and discrimination. The MEP determined 26 key recommendation areas which target policies to enhance education, access, and equity in cancer care. Recommendation topics included accessibility, affordability, community engagement, promoting diversity in the oncology workforce, quality of screening, and tobacco taxes, among many others. Recommendation areas include upstream, midstream, and downstream interventions. For example, accessibility recommendations included increasing the number of minority primary care providers by increasing upstream educational access for the medical fields and improving accessibility to new medical advances such as access to CART-Therapy and Immunotherapy. Conclusions: Equity-focused interventions require long-term commitments that align with the lived realities of marginalized populations, ensuring consistent access to care and resources. Strategic leadership, collective action, and accountability are necessary to drive meaningful change and the OCMH MEP believes that fully implementing the recommendations will significantly reduce the cancer burden within racial and ethnic populations in Ohio and make considerable progress toward achieving equity. Citation Format: Electra D. Paskett, Chloe M. Hery, On behalf of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health’s Medical Expert Panel on Preventable Cancers. Achieving equity and eliminating preventable cancer disparities within racial and ethnic populations: Results of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health’s Medical Expert Panel on Preventable Cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B166.