Social Justice Speaker Series Presents
Barriers to Breast Cancer Care among Women in Underserved and Displaced Communities in the US and Globally: A Social Justice Crisis
Presenter: Helen L. Coons, PhD, ABPP
Date & Time: Â Thursday January 22nd, 2026 from 7:00PM – 8:00PM Eastern Daylight Time
Location: Live Via Zoom (Zoom Link: Emailed with ticket)
Zoom will require name and email address to enter the webinar.
Cost:
FREE to attend
FREE CE for CPA Members (Log into account to access discount!)
$15.00 CE Processing Fee for Non-members
Continuing Education: Â Eligible for 1 CE
Abstract:
Inequities in medical and supportive breast cancer care among women in underserved and displaced communities across the world represents an individual, family, community, public health and social justice crisis. According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in 157 out of 185 countries. In 2022, over two million women were diagnosed with breast cancer with 670,000 deaths worldwide. Breast cancer burden also differs greatly in countries with high vs low Human Development Index (HDI). Sadly, women in minoritized and refugee communities in the US and globally all too often face barriers to state-of-the-art breast cancer screening and treatment. Challenges related to historical and ongoing gender bias and racial discrimination in health care, difficulty accessing medical and supportive services in underserved and displaced urban, rural and frontier communities, changes in Medicaid eligibility in the US, reduced and overwhelmed health care services in both the US and globally, deportation of immigrants, and decreased NIH funding of clinical research and trials among other factor contribute to reduced or delayed access to vital care. Furthermore, refugees often face reduced access to early breast cancer screening, have later stage disease at diagnosis, experience difficulty accessing treatment because unstable living circumstances and displacement resulting in disruption in care, face language barriers and are often unable to afford the high costs of treatment. This presentation will review barriers to medical, supportive and psychosocial care among women with breast cancer in underserved and displaced communities across the world through a social justice lens.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Summarize at least two inequities in breast cancer burden in the US and globally.
2. List at least five barriers to cancer screening and care among women worldwide.
3. Describe three barriers to breast cancer care for refugees and other displaced person in the US and globally.
Research Citations
Alawa, J., Alhalabi, F. & Khoshnood, K. (2019). Breast Cancer Management Among Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Populations: A Call to Action. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 11, 129–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-019-00314-6
Arnold, M., Morgan, E., Rumgay, H., Mafra, A., Singh, D., Laversanne, M., Vignat, J., Gralow,J J.R., Cardoso, F., Siesling, S. & Soerjomataram, I. (2022). Current and future burden of breast cancer: Global statistics for 2020 and 2040. The Breast. Volume 66, Pages 15-23.ISSN 0960-9776, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2022.08.010.
Emerson, M.A., Golightly, Y.M., Aiello, A.E., Reeder-Hayes, K.E., Tan, X., Maduekwe, U., Johnson-Thompson, M., Olshan, A.F. & Troester, M.A. (2020). Breast cancer treatment delays by socioeconomic and health care access latent classes in Black and White women. Cancer. 126(22):4957-4966. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33121.
Global Breast Cancer Initiative Implementation Framework: assessing, strengthening and scaling-up of services for the early detection and management of breast cancer. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023.
Presenter Biography
Helen L. Coons, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified clinical health psychologist who specializes in women’s health and mental health, psychosocial oncology and integrated care in women’s health settings. Dr. Coons is currently President and Clinical Director, Women’s Mental Health Associates and Health Psychology Solutions, Denver, Colorado. She has over 35 years of professional experience working with women with cancer, oncology health care providers and the cancer advocacy community. Dr. Coons specializes in psychosocial aspects of cancer such as preparing individuals and families for treatment procedures, survivorship issues, living well with uncertainty, cancer during and after pregnancy, moms with metastatic disease, sexual health in women with cancer, onco-fertility, refugees and immigrants with cancer as well as trauma-informed care in oncology settings. She also presents to oncology teams and community audiences in the US and globally and consults at the national level on psychosocial oncology care and patient resources. Dr. Coons presented at the IOM National Cancer Policy Board meeting on Psychosocial Service Needs among Women with Breast Cancer, served on several Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) professional advisory committees, contributed to an advanced breast cancer survey for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, currently sits on LBBC’s Medical Advisory Board, and is a highly experienced content expert for media writers. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), she is a former member of the APA Board of Directors, past President of the Society for Health Psychology, and the founding chair of the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. Dr. Coons received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Temple University, Philadelphia after completing her pre-doctoral internship in Medical Psychology, Duke University School of Medicine. She also completed the DHHS Healthcare Policy Fellowship.
Post-Webinar Evaluation Form:
Post-webinar evaluation form will be provided during the event and must be completed to receive a Continuing Education (CE) certificate.
Closed Captions:Â Live audio captions are accessible for this event. If you need additional disability-related accommodations, please contact us by email us at info@connpsych.org or by phone (860) 404-0333. Requests should be made at least two weeks in advance of workshop date.
Refund Policy: Participants may direct questions to CPA by email at info@connpsych.org or by phone at (860) 404-0333. Registrants may cancel and receive a full refund up to two-weeks in advance of workshop date. Â An administrative fee of $30 will be charged for cancellation of registration within two weeks of the workshop date (Social Justice events will not be charged an administrative fee). Please note, no refunds will be granted within 24 hours of workshop date.
Continuing Education Approval:
The Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for the program and its content. CPA will issue certificates of completion. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those logging into the Zoom webinar more than 15 minutes late or logging off before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits (i.e., partial CE credit will not be issued).
CPA GRIEVANCE POLICY:
The Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists. The CPA will comply with all legal and ethical guidelines for non-discrimination in promotional activities, program content, and in the treatment of CE participants.  While the CPA strives to assure fair treatment for all participants and to anticipate problems before they occur, occasionally grievances may be filed. In cases where a participant files a written or oral grievance, the following actions are taken:
If the grievance concerns the content of the workshop, a CPA representative will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the CPA will either provide a credit for a subsequent CE offering or provide a partial or full refund of the CE fee already paid. Â Actions involving a credit or a refund will require a written note documenting the grievance for record-keeping purposes. The aggrieved individual need not sign the note. If the grievance specifically concerns the CPA, the CPA will attempt to arbitrate.
Direct correspondence to: The Connecticut Psychological Association, P.O. Box #1167, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 or by email to executivedirector@connpsych.org.
