28/06/2024
Dear Friends,
It’s a great pleasure and honor to share with you all that I was invited to deliver flash talk on’ Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and its associated risk factors in tribal and rural vulnerable populations of Gadchiroli-India’ during the session on ‘Health inequities in the cancer incidence and prevention-flash talk’ in the inaugural ‘The Cancer Prevention Research Conference’ at Boston, USA on June 25, 2024 hosted by American Cancer Society, NCI and Cancer Research UK. On behalf of countless victims of smokeless to***co, I expressed my sincere gratitude to organizers for accepting our research study to deliver a flash talk to reveal the true magnitude of oral cancer and precancers in the marginalized communities of Gadchiroli district. On this occasion, we would like to thank everyone who contributed and believed in the SOCH’s mission of oral cancer control through marginalized people’s initiative, especially our two volunteers, namely the late Mr. Atul Dhawley and Mr. Pavan Kodap, who worked relentlessly to access and screen the study participants in remote, tribal, rural, underserved and conflict settings. I’m very thankful to the participants, co-authors, ACS, NCI, CDC, Cancer Aid Society, Sharad Pawar Dental College, Govt. Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur, District Health Office, Gadchiroli, District General Hospital, Gadchiroli; Collector Office, Gadchiroli; Faculties and Staff at Washington University in Saint Louis; Teachers, Friends, mentors, relatives; everyone who directly or indirectly helped us to set up a new approach to address oral cancer and precancer health issue. Likewise, I’m humbled by the encouragement by participants and panelists, especially Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, for constant encouragement and critical inquiry about gender inequity. I’m so grateful for the unconditional support from my family for their sacrifice, especially my mother, who paid off by sacrificing her life when I was working on this project.
PC: Kenneth