KING'S CENTER HEALTH AND WELLNESS FORUM
CAU'S Cancer Center to Participate in the King's Center's Health and Wellness Forum on Jaunuary 9, 2010
ATLANTA (Dec. 9, 2009) – Faculty and researchers in the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development at Clark Atlanta University will participate in a Health and Wellness Forum, sponsored by The King Center as a part of its 2010 King holiday observance. The forum will take place on Jan. 9, 2010, from 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. at The King Center.
Dr. Shafiq Khan, director of the CCRTD, said, “We are delighted for the opportunity to help support Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision, which included the fight against health disparities in minority and poor communities. Since cancer is a disease that disproportionately impacts these communities, education and prevention are key components in addressing this issue.”
The CCRTD was established in 1999 out of the strengths of the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry. CCRTD is currently supported by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)/National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored Research Center in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program; the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD); National Cancer Institute (NCI); Department of Defense (DoD); and Georgia Research Alliance. In 2004, CCRTD faculty decided to focus its efforts on prostate cancer research. This decision was based on the significantly higher rate of incidence and mortality among African-American men and because of the unique expertise of CCRTD faculty that could readily be applied to this area of research.
The overall mission of CCRTD is:
- To develop a core group of internationally known group of scientists who will carry out highly productive basic research in cancer cell biology and contribute in the development of successful therapeutic strategies to combat cancer.
- To involve undergraduate and graduate students in the area of cancer research and to train post-doctoral fellows in the area of cancer biology and, hence, help develop future generations of African-American scientists of the highest caliber.
- To establish an educational program that will help to increase awareness for prevention, early detection and treatment of cancers, especially those which disproportionately affect the African-American community.
Formed in 1988 by the consolidation of two historic institutions, Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869), Clark Atlanta University is the largest of the United Negro College Fund institutions with an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students. Clark Atlanta University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone 404-679-4501) to award the Bachelor’s, Master’s, Specialist and Doctor’s degrees. The Carnegie Classification lists CAU as a Research University – High Research Activity. CAU is listed as one of the best southeastern colleges by The Princeton Review and has been selected to the Washington Monthly’s 2008 list of best colleges and universities. National business and consumer publications rank Clark Atlanta high among the best buys in American higher education.
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Media Contacts:
Larry Calhoun
404-880-6040
lcalhoun@cau.edu
Jennifer Jiles
404-880-8357
jjiles@cau.edu