Health Equity Workgroup

Meets virtually every second Thursday of each month from 2 – 3 pm

The Health Equity Workgroup is currently working on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Plus (SOGI+) Data Project which focuses on ensuring the cancer burden for sexual and gender minorities is represented through cancer surveillance data for this marginalized population. The SOGI+ Data Project includes several components that include collaboration with the California Cancer Registry to add appropriate categories to the cancer data dictionary, a data collection pilot with cancer centers, and education and awareness activities. In collaboration with the CDOC Health equity Workgroup, other workgroups and the CDOC Cancer Centers Collaborative, CDOC has convened a Clinical Trials Joint Task Force to help address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in clinical trials. Although California’s NCI-designated cancer centers have dedicated staff to addressing DE&I in clinical trials there is still a need for the project as the main issue being lack of access among other things. The objective of the task force is to assess and examine barriers, challenges, and make recommendations.