A new national study led by Trisha Amboree, Ph.D., at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and Jane Montealegre, Ph.D., at MD Anderson Cancer Center highlights the untapped potential of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to close cervical cancer screening gaps. Published in JAMA Network Open, the research found that if FQHCs met national screening goals, they could reach nearly 2 million additional women—many in rural or low-income areas—and save thousands of lives. Because FQHCs serve patients who often face barriers to care, strengthening screening programs there could be one of the most direct and equitable ways to prevent cervical cancer. As Amboree put it, “We should be investing more, not less, in these community clinics. Cervical cancer could be a disease of the past if we do.”

The Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center (TCC) has been named a “Comprehensive Cancer Center” by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the highest designation awarded to cancer centers in the United States. This recognition places Mount Sinai among the top one percent of cancer centers nationwide and affirms the breadth and depth of its cancer research, clinical excellence, and commitment to health equity. The designation also brings more than $3 million annually to support Mount Sinai’s research and innovation.

University of Iowa Health Care researchers have produced the most comprehensive genetic and metabolic analysis to date of the oral microbiome associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive autoimmune disease that damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord. They found that people with MS have a distinct (dysbiotic) oral microbiome compared to healthy individuals. The findings could eventually help doctors develop simple saliva-based tests to detect or monitor MS and may open the door to new classes of MS treatments that replace or restore healthy bacteria.

Corewell Health physicians are researching cancer treatment advancements with a new, nearly $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The four-year grant will help doctors potentially bring a type of proton beam technology, called dynamic SPArc (Spot-Scanning Proton Arc), into everyday patient care.