Overcoming Prostate Cancer Disparities in Care

Dr. Dason completed a fellowship in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and trained at McMaster University and University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. His academic interest is in prostate cancer diagnosis and screening. He is principal investigator on a Patient Care Innovation from The Ohio State University that funds a clinical and academic program focused on reducing prostate cancer screening disparities in socioeconomically disadvantaged men. 

Sutricia Johnson serves as the director of case management at East Alabama Health in Opelika, Alabama. She has nearly 28 years of nursing experience that includes cardiac stepdown, med surgical, and quality. She has served as a faith community nurse for the Auburn area since 2009, where she services True Deliverance Holiness Church. Johnson has a passion for serving her community and providing health education and resources to all. She also focuses on providing knowledge to the underserved, uninsured, and underinsured. Johnson received an ADN from Troy University, a BSN from Auburn University- Montgomery, and an Executive MBA from Auburn University-Montgomery. 

Nora Katurakes is a certified oncology nurse and the manager of community health outreach and education at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute. She has been with ChristianaCare for more than 23 years. Katurakes received her master’s degree in oncology administration from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Delaware. She has been an adjunct faculty member for the University of Delaware, and she serves on the Del Tech Advisory Council.  

In her current role at ChristianaCare, Katurakes oversees community outreach and education to reduce disparities in cancer care in under-served communities, and she provides increased access to cancer screenings and clinical care. She also administers and develops grant programs to support community outreach and education efforts. Katurakes has given numerous presentations and authored publications focused on outreach work. 

Katurakes has received recognition for her work and dedication to the community including the 2012 American Cancer Society’s Hometown Hero Medical Award, 2009 City of Wilmington Mayor’s Award, Susan G Komen’s 2007 Beacon of Light Award, 2006 Each One Teach One’s Community Hero Award, and she is a two-time nominee for Spirit of Women Award for Community Outreach.  

In 2016 and 2020, Katurakes was recognized as one of Delaware’s Top Nurses in Delaware Today. She was awarded the Inaugural Daisy Lifetime Achievement Award at ChristianaCare in June 2020. 

Chelsea Kroll is a certified oncology social worker with the Spencer Cancer Center at East Alabama Medical Center. She completed her master’s degree in social work at Tulane University in 1996 and began her social work career as an inpatient social work discharge planner, after which she served as a hospice social worker and bereavement coordinator. Kroll began her oncology social work path in 2002 at East Alabama Medical Center, and she continues to work there today. She volunteers with the American Cancer Society and is a past Mid-South Region Volunteer of the Year. As a member of the Association of Oncology Social Work, Kroll is a past Education Director and currently serves as a conference co-chair for the 2022 national conference and chair of the professional development committee. Kroll proudly served in the United States Army and retired after 20 years of combined active duty and reserve service. Her interests include the mind/body wellness connection in patient care, caregiver support, advocacy, access to care, and veteran’s services and programs. She is married to her husband, Dan, and together they have two teenage boys.

Dr. Palmer is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco and has secondary appointments in the Departments of Urology and Radiation Oncology. As a mixed-methods public health researcher, Dr. Palmer is committed to unraveling cancer disparities by using community engagement, relationship-centered communication, and multilevel strategies to enhance the delivery of high-quality cancer care. Dr. Palmer has been funded by the National Cancer Institute to work to enable low-income African American men to access high-quality prostate cancer treatment. She seeks to do this by anchoring the evidence-based intervention of peer navigation in the relational concept of African American brotherhood to foster trust and empowerment and optimize patient-centered communication, treatment decision-making, and quality of care. 

Dr. Palmer is the co-leader of the Prostate Cancer Task Force at the San Francisco Cancer Initiative, which works to eliminate prostate cancer disparities through community engagement and education, targeted early detection, appropriate follow-up of aggressive disease, navigation and support services, and institutional partnerships that ensure high-quality care city-wide. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare, where she is the expert in communication research to promote health equity.