Albert Einstein once said to his son, life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. The same can be said for cancer to eliminate cancer as a personal disease and public health problem we must keep moving towards the common goals of better prevention and treatment.
Corporations are moving forward by playing leadership roles in cancer prevention and control through their workplace health and well-being programs, core business actions, and significant financial support for cancer research and awareness campaigns. From contributions to and partnerships with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and employee walkathons and fundraisers on behalf of dozens of cancer research organizations, businesses and their employees are devoting a great deal of time and money to finding cures and treatments for many forms of cancer. The focus on prevention includes changes in the physical environment and culture to make it easier for individuals to embrace healthier habits such as good diets, physical activity, no smoking, and avoiding harmful use of alcohol.
While substantial progress has been made in building public-private partnerships to tackle major health problems, there is a need to strengthen our progress in the area of cancer control and prevention, building on work done by the UICC and the NCD Alliance while customizing collaborations for different regions and sectors. Global partnerships that include industry, governments, nonprofits and NGOs must rally to provide greater focus on the issue, incentives, and markets around the world to spur industrys continued development of innovative drugs, vaccines and diagnostics, as well as affordable, healthy and safe foods. Along the way, making the healthier choice the easy choice and ensuring that we build a culture of health is critical for sustainable change. The implications for the prevention of cancer could be considerable.
And thats why were thrilled to be taking part in next weeks The Economist’s The Health Care Forum: War on Cancer event on September 29 in Boston, with Vitality Chief Health Officer Derek Yach speaking at the session Genetics, the environment, and behaving better. The event will convene key stakeholders from the private and public sectors to explore prevention and treatment innovations and challenges related to cancer, as well as the role of collaboration and integration in driving progress.
Interested in attending? Heres the link to additional details and to register. To get a special $350 discount, enter the code VITALITY350 (we dont get any monetary benefit from you using this code).
We encourage you to join us at the event, follow us on Twitter at @VitalityUSA, and participate in the conversation #WarOnCancer.
Thumbnail image credit: Via Pinterest
