The BCI’s mission is to develop and drive implementation of solutions to accelerate progress in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, research and care, and to reduce disparities in cancer outcomes. Fueled by urgency, BCI stands on behalf of every patient, every family, every community having to deal with a cancer diagnosis and the complex and confusing maze they must navigate thereafter. BCI is a response to the lack of a cohesive, comprehensive and timely approach to ending cancer as we know it. An independent nonprofit organization, BCI’s work is shaped by the breadth and depth of insight, experience and expertise of its board of directors and advisory committee members.

Out of all this, AOSW has been given opportunities to offer the oncology social work voice to BCI. One such opportunity was an invitation to participate in the Biden Cancer Summit. Through the summit, BCI continues the work of the White House Cancer Moonshot. Per BCI, “The moon does not have light of its own for it to shine; it reflects the light of the sun.” At the summit, BCI reflected the light of remarkable people and organizations doing incredible things to improve the cancer experience—and AOSW was there!

Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden hosted the summit to drive the urgency by promoting new solutions, bringing together problem solvers and telling stories that epitomize what it means to be cancer FIERCE. The summit was the flagship event of more than 450 Biden Cancer Community Summits that convened on September 21—all focused on improving the cancer journey for patients, their families and caregivers. AOSW members around the country hosted or participated in many of these summits.

The flagship summit was held at The Anthem, an amazing and beautiful concert venue in Washington, DC. Watch the Biden Cancer Summit: Morning Session to gain a sense of how they inspired participants to be #cancerFIERCE. At the 58:00 minute mark, you’ll hear Dr. Jill Biden give a shout out to AOSW Fellow and Past President Krista Nelson about the work she has done and a patient story she shared. Sitting next to Krista in that moment, I can’t tell you how blown away and honored we were to have her and OSWs get such acknowledgement!

Throughout the day, the summit featured “spotlight” stories of heroism and courage in the face of cancer. Stories of purpose, resilience and strength from community activists to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, WWE legends to football players, chief medical officers to science phenoms. We saw into the minds and hearts of people—ranging from a cellist to the head of the FDA’s Oncology Review office—who have survived cancer or lost a loved one as they narrated how cancer changed the trajectory of their lives.

In between the spotlight stories, we did small group work tasked with making recommendations for action items for BCI around the following topics:

• Addressing disparities in outcomes and care
• Prevention
• Patient navigation
• Patient data and education
• Survivorship
• Clinical trials
• Value and access
• Sharing and standardizing data to improve outcomes
• Translating innovative ideas into improved health
• Tackling the toughest cancers
• Developing systems needed to treat the patient
• Surviving cancer

In each of the above areas, AOSW and its members have so much to contribute! Here are just a few examples:

• Disparities. OSWs know all about disparities. A core value of our profession is social justice, and from this core value we can offer much in the creation of health and health care equity.
• Patient Navigators. OSWs are Patient Navigators PLUS! Not only do we have the expertise to help patients and families navigate the cancer experience, but we also have the clinical skill set to build therapeutic relationships and care for the emotional, psychosocial and spirituals aspects of ALL those affected by cancer.
• Survivorship. We know survivorship has national attention—mostly as it relates to care plans—but attention nonetheless. The conversation is really focused on patients but family members are survivors, too—even if the identified patient is not deceased. We can contribute this perspective to research designs, initiatives, partnerships and ultimately help broaden survivorship to be more inclusive of those who have been alongside the patient.
• Clinical Trials. It is no secret that minority communities are underrepresented in clinical trials. OSWs know people. We know barriers. We connect with our patients where they are and this is unique to our discipline. Others try but we are the experts. The access to online resources to know where all the clinical trials are occurring across the U.S. is a huge step forward. And when people need help figuring out how to get to those places across the country, what’s covered and what isn’t, where to stay, etc., OSWs are the ones who help. OSWs connect people with resources! OSWs help patients connect the dots beyond the medical space.
• Systems Development. OSWs can support the development of systems needed to treat the patient (and family) through the use of our systems approach to care. Our other core value is the importance of human relationships. We seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations and communities.

We ended the summit day with a town hall meeting with Vice President Biden and experts he had assembled to answer our questions and those sent in by the various community summits. The topics included prevention, early detection and diagnosis; research and innovation; and care and survivorship. AOSW President-elect Eucharia Borden and many other local AOSW members joined us at the summit.

An important outcome of the day was that BCI illuminated the emerging national narrative of how people turn their cancer fear into cancer fierce, told through the commitments–new efforts and collaborations–coming from across industries and sectors, and inspired by the call to action of co-chairs Joe and Jill Biden.

They, like so, so many in this community, have endured their worst nightmare and risen above it to lead a movement to double the rate of progress against cancer.

We are excited to see where our new relationship goes and to be able to offer OSW expertise and perspective in partnership with BCI.