Health Care: A Brighter Future for All
A human right, access to quality health care education and medical treatment is often a challenge for African American communities. Organizations such as these are key to Smith’s vision of a more equitable, healthy future.
“As African American men are at an increased risk for being diagnosed or dying from prostate cancer, understanding their risk profile and applying this knowledge earlier with strategic detection, care, and decisions about cancer risk management is of utmost importance to address health inequity in the U.S.”
Robert F. Smith Partners With
Robert Frederick Smith Precision Oncology Center of Excellence at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago:
In 2018, Smith made a donation to support prostate cancer research aimed at helping African American men and created the Robert Frederick Smith Precision Oncology Center of Excellence in Chicago, located at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.
Prostate Cancer Foundation
The PCF funds the world’s most promising research into improving the prevention, detection, and treatment of prostate cancer, with hope to eventually cure the disease. Smith is a supporter of their research, and funded efforts to create a genetics-based test for early detection of prostate cancer in African American men — a group disproportionately affected by the disease.
Susan G. Komen
An internationally known organization that addresses breast cancer on multiple fronts, Susan G. Komen received a $27 million donation through Fund II Foundation. The gift helped create the African American Health Equity Initiative (AAHEI) at the Komen Foundation, aimed at reducing the mortality rate among Black breast cancer patients through education.
