Despite steady rain, more than 40 members of the Fox Chase Cancer Center – Temple Health team came together to offer head and neck cancer screenings and discuss cancer prevention and early detection with community members at OURfest, an annual celebration of National Coming Out Day and the LGBTQ+ community that also builds connections with local organizations, resources and support.
Led by Jobran Mansour, MD, a specialist in complex head and neck cancers, a team of medical students from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University conducted screenings for festival attendees, providing valuable opportunities to learn about changes in the mouth, throat, or neck that may warrant follow-up with a health care professional. Events like this are a critical part of Fox Chase and Temple Health’s efforts to create space for open conversations about cancer prevention and early detection and expand access to essential health information and services.
The event also supported recruitment for the AND-OnE cohort study, which uses annual health surveys to learn more about the health needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities. Shannon Lynch, PhD, MPH, an assistant director of Fox Chase’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, helped attendees to learn more about how their participation can improve community health.
Roland Dunbrack, PhD, professor and co-leader of the Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program at Fox Chase, who helped organize the event and was onsite that day, said bringing services directly to the community can help address barriers to care that may not have been traditionally recognized. “Our presence at this event and future Pride events will demonstrate to the LGBTQ+ community the importance of cancer screenings, early detection and prevention.”
Also on hand for the event was Robert Winn, MD, cancer center director at Fox Chase. "We talk about moving cancer science from the bench to the bedside to the block, and OURfest is exactly what that looks like in action,” said Dr. Winn. “Our responsibility is to make sure the knowledge, screenings, research opportunities, and care that come from our campus reach people where they are. For LGBTQ+ communities, that means showing up consistently, listening with respect, building trust, and making clear that Fox Chase and Temple Health are here as partners in prevention, early detection, research, and care."
OURfest reflected Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple Health’s commitment to meeting communities where they are and ensuring that cancer prevention, early detection, research opportunities, and follow-up care are accessible, inclusive, and grounded in trust. Through screenings, education, and community-engaged research, the event helped extend Fox Chase’s mission beyond the walls of the cancer center and into the communities it serves.