Over the last three decades, medical advances have dramatically improved cancer outcomes. But those gains have not reached everyone equally. Delays in diagnosis, limited access to screening, language differences and unmet social needs shape who receives care and when.
At RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center, we believe access to high quality, personalized cancer care should not depend on a patient’s ZIP code, language, work schedule or ability to navigate a complex health system. To tackle these challenges, we are examining where existing systems fall short of patients’ needs and redesigning them to reduce delays, remove obstacles and strengthen continuity from diagnosis through survival.
“We know that disparities exist in cancer care,” said Summer Dewdney, MD, director of diversity, equity and inclusion within RUSH MD Anderson. “We want to identify what’s causing them and close the gaps so that everyone, from a single mom with kids who receives a breast cancer diagnosis to a prostate cancer patient who can’t get off work without losing income, gets the care and support they need.”
Through broader screening efforts, expanded patient navigation, deeper attention to survivorship and reimagined systems to reduce treatment delays, we are taking a holistic approach to meeting people where they are.
Improving access to high-quality screening services
While mammograms are considered the gold standard for detecting small, early-stage breast cancers when they are most treatable, issues like insurance status and reluctance to visit healthcare facilities prevent women from receiving this vital preventive care. Programs like the Mobile Mammography Clinic help to address these barriers.
In fall 2025, more than 220 women received free mammograms thanks to the Mobile Mammography Clinic, an event held over two weeks at Humboldt Park Boathouse. RUSH MD Anderson partnered with the Chicago Park District, Equal Hope, Humboldt Park Health and Siemens Healthineers to provide breast cancer screenings to under- and uninsured women ages 40 and older.
After a successful first year, the team plans to expand the event to include screenings for colon, cervical and throat cancers as well as cardiovascular disease. This approach will welcome more people and address multiple health needs in a single, trusted setting.
Even when screening and treatment options are available, outside factors, such as transportation challenges, work and caregiving responsibilities, insurance status and language needs, can all affect how — and how quickly — care continues.
RUSH MD Anderson providers who led the Mobile Mammography event knew that follow-up care would be difficult to navigate for many of the women who participated. A partnership with Equal Hope addressed this challenge head-on through personalized outreach and patient navigation.
This extra step sets the mobile event apart from other public screening interventions, according to Jiana Calixto, MPH, chief health operations officer for Equal Hope.
“Oftentimes, with programs like the Mobile Mammography van, our question is ‘What’s next?’” she explained. “You meet patients at the Boathouse in Humboldt Park but cannot figure out how to reach them. Our patient navigators develop trust with people and know how to connect with them.”
Equal Hope’s navigators helped women enroll in the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, a state-funded initiative that offers free screenings and breast examinations, and connects them to providers and clinics — including RUSH MD Anderson — that offer supplemental screenings, care and support.
Guiding patients through complex care with expanded patient navigation
The navigation Equal Hope provides isn’t a special service — it’s a structural requirement in a complex care system. Nurse navigation decreases health disparities and improves the patient experience, from diagnosis through survivorship. It can break down the complex, confusing healthcare system to help cancer patients better understand their next steps and stick to their care plans.
As teams across RUSH MD Anderson began examining time‑to‑treatment metrics more closely, clear patterns emerged. Some patients experienced longer delays between diagnosis and treatment — not because of clinical complexity, but because navigating multiple appointments, locations and protocols can be challenging without coordinated support.
In their research, breast surgeon Rosalinda Alvarado, MD, and reconstruction surgeon Deana Shenaq, MD, found that Spanish speakers accessing care at RUSH MD Anderson wait longer for their first cancer treatment than their English-speaking counterparts.
With support from the Dan J. Epstein Family Foundation, Drs. Shenaq and Alvarado will launch a new bilingual patient navigation program that offers more streamlined, tailored cancer care for Spanish-speaking patients.
And in response to the growing body of time-to-treatment research at RUSH MD Anderson, Dr. Dewdney and other leaders are developing shared metrics and centralizing navigation so more patients can access coordinated support.
“We want to get a better sense of the delays patients experience from when they are diagnosed to when they get their first treatment,” Dr. Dewdney said. “By tracking relevant metrics and making navigation more accessible, we can get patients to treatment sooner."
Supporting identity and well being during treatment
For many patients undergoing chemotherapy, side effects such as hair loss can shape how they see themselves and how they move through daily life.
Scalp cooling using cold caps can help prevent hair loss. Unfortunately, the treatment is not typically covered by insurance, and many are unable to afford the $2,500 out-of-pocket cost.
Shelly Lo, MD, medical director at RUSH MD Anderson at Lisle, has seen firsthand the positive impact scalp cooling has on patients, from parents concerned about how their young children will react to hair loss to working professionals worried about how their colleagues view them.
“Hair loss is one of the most emotional side effects of cancer treatment,” said Dr. Lo, who is deeply involved in supportive cancer care initiatives, especially for women receiving care for breast cancer.
With funding from Bears Care, Dr. Lo and her colleagues can cover the cost of scalp cooling for women undergoing chemotherapy for breast and ovarian cancers and conduct research into the intervention’s effectiveness for people with varying hair textures and volumes.
“Being able to offer scalp cooling helps people retain a sense of normalcy during a very stressful time,” she said. “And our research will help guide providers’ recommendations and solutions that work for everyone.”
Imagining life beyond cancer
Meanwhile, Drs. Shenaq and Alvarado are committed to ensuring that every woman living with breast cancer has access to the care and support she needs to feel her best.
“We’ve made tremendous strides in saving women’s lives over the last 40 years,” she said. “Now, with so many women living longer after a breast cancer diagnosis, we need to make sure they’re living well.”
For many women, that means feeling comfortable and confident in their bodies. Reconstruction procedures, including breast reconstruction surgery, chest wall reconstruction and nipple tattooing, influence a woman’s sense of identity and self. They can help people imagine life beyond cancer.
Through the Breast Reconstruction Fund, Dr. Shenaq and her colleagues can continue research on body image throughout survivorship and offer financial assistance for women who are unable to afford reconstructive procedures that would make them feel more confident.
“As a surgeon, I believe it’s critical to study patients’ perceptions of care and satisfaction with surgery to understand their quality of life,” Dr. Shenaq said. “With that knowledge, we can help them lead their most fulfilling lives after cancer treatment.”
For Dr. Dewdney, these systemwide efforts ensure everyone has access to the same level of care.
“We’re always looking at what we can do to close the gaps and be more targeted,” she said. “Everything we’re doing, from provider training and education to redesigning systems, makes a meaningful difference for patients, their families and their overall RUSH MD Anderson experience.”
If you're interested in learning more about how you can support Rush's efforts to expand access to high-quality, personalized care, contact Charles Palys, director of development in the Office of Philanthropy, at charles_palys@rush.edu or (312) 563-9049.
All philanthropic gifts benefit initiatives of RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center in the greater Chicago area and Northwest Indiana and do not fund research or programs at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
