On December 2, 2020, Dina V. Avery, DHSc, MA, MAEd, was elected chairperson of the Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition. The ACCCC is a statewide network of physicians, organizations, medical groups, cancer patients, cancer survivors and more. They are dedicated to reducing the incidence, morbidity and mortality of cancer in Alabama.

“My goals include expanding the presence of ACCCC and to recruit more coalition members,” said Avery, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions’ Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences. “It is important for the coalition to apply for grant funding to provide even more resources needed for grassroots initiatives and to develop strategies to decrease the cancer burden within Alabama."

Avery and the coalition will work closely with activities related to the final year of the Alabama Cancer Control Plan 2016-2021 implemented by Gov. Kay Ivey, State Health Officer Scott Harris, M.D. and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). This plan is a long-term guide that addresses primary prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship, follow-up care and palliative care. It also includes fundamental lifestyle changes (i.e. tobacco cessation, increased activity, proper nutrition) to build a sustainable effort for cancer prevention and control in Alabama.

This is not Avery’s first foray into ACCCC’s leadership. Since 2018, she has chaired the Early Detection Committee. That committee focuses on educating residents of underserved areas on the benefits of cancer screenings and providing lists of available community resources.

Avery, who is also an associate scientist with the UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center, begins her term as ACCCC chair on January 1, 2021 and will serve for a two year period.