Week 3: A JEDI Focus on Disparities in Minority Communities - 2026 Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Throughout this year’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we will highlight a new theme each week to focus our collective attention and action.

For Week 3, we are highlighting a JEDI-centered theme and drawing attention to the disparities that continue to affect several minority communities. This week’s content features both new resources and previously shared materials you may have missed, but that are well worth revisiting.

March 16 / We were pleased to kick off week 3 with an insightful blog post from our Communications Committee member, Anuja Chitre, MS, CGC, who shared key insights from the study “African-Americans Are Less Frequently Assessed for Hereditary Colon Cancer.”  It’s crucial that individuals from all communities impacted by hereditary GI cancer syndromes receive timely genetic risk assessment and access to the correct providers at the right time, which is essential to advancing equity in patient care. Read her blog post exploring the study’s findings HERE.

March 17 /  Today is World Social Work Day! We’re proud to celebrate the occasion with a special blog post from our first social worker member, Emily Epstein, L.M.S.W.

We encourage you to read her insightful blog and learn more about this important and evolving profession, and the vital role social workers play within the multidisciplinary hereditary cancer care team. Read it HERE

Also, being released today is the infographic "Finding Genetic Testing and Care for Hereditary Colon Cancer." We're grateful to our Communications Committee member, Dylane Wineland, MS, LCGC, for creating this excellent infographic. Explore it HERE and bookmark it for easy access whenever you need it. Designed as an at-a-glance reference, it serves as a practical tool for providers to guide patients toward genetic counseling, testing, specialty care, and support resources. It helps clinicians address barriers to care and connect diverse patient populations with equitable, accessible hereditary cancer services.

March 18 / Did you miss our podcast “Access to Genetic Care in Diverse Communities: The Latin American Experience?” This podcast is available in both English and Spanish. Hosted by our JEDI Committee vice-chair, Yvonne Cardona, MS, CGC, the expert speakers, all from Latin America, provide valuable insights into the state of medical genetics across the region, shedding light on current challenges and opportunities to improve clinical care for patients and their families. Listen to the English podcast HERE / Spanish podcast HERE. Read the blog post HERE.

March 19 /  Did you miss our Black History Month blog post?  Written by our Communications Committee Chair, Michelle Springer, MS, CGC, the blog summarizes the key findings and takeaways highlighted by the authors. It offers important insights into how providers can strengthen their practices to support equitable identification and management of hereditary cancer risk.  Read the full blog post HERE.

March 20 / If you want to access valuable information on how to engage underserved communities and increase uptake of screening, genetic testing and participation in research in underrepresented communities, then we invite you to watch our webinar focusing on “Building Trust & Resources in CRC research: Strategies for Community Engagement, Biospecimen Collection, & Addressing Disparities”.  It features two key experts who share their real-world experience in reducing barriers to participation in CRC research among underserved groups and in increasing engagement from underrepresented communities. CGA-IGC members can watch the webinar on demand HERE. Read the blog post HERE.

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Each week throughout Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we’ll spotlight a different theme to deepen learning and inspire action. Explore the upcoming weekly themes HERE.

Did you miss the previous weeks' initiatives?

Read the Week 1 blog post HERE and Week 2 HERE to catch up!

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