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Highlights from International Conference 
on Cancer Health Disparities  
Murali M. Yallapu1,2*, Jorge Teniente3, Andrew Tsin3,4, and Subhash C. Chauhan1,2* 

1Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 
McAllen, TX, USA 2South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of 
Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX, USA 3Office of Research, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio 
Grande Valley, McAllen, TX, USA 4Department of Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine, University of 
Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX, USA 
 

*Corresponding author: Murali M. Yallapu, Ph.D., E. mail: murali.yallapu@utrgv.edu. 
Subhash. C. Chauhan, Ph.D., E. mail: subhash.chauhan@utrgv.edu 

ABSTRACT 
The first International Conference on Cancer Health Disparities (ICCHD) was held on August 13-14, 2021, 
in Harlingen, TX, USA. This two-day ICCHD-2021 was organized by the University of Texas Rio Grande 
Valley, School of Medicine (UTRGV-SOM). About 200 national and international delegates from 10 
countries attended this hybrid meeting in person and through online digital platforms. The event 
delegates were representatives from National Institutes of Health (NIH), Cancer Prevention and Research 
Institute of Texas (CPRIT), and the City of Harlingen, in addition to clinicians, faculty, researchers, scientists, 
bioinformaticians, geneticists, bioethicists, and others. Under the theme of Cancer Health Disparities, this 
event featured a number of special talks and showcased the work done by researchers from a broad array 
of disciplines (academia, community, and health care) to identify gaps and/or solutions to multi-faceted 
heath and health disparity issues impacting minority and underserved populations across the country and 
worldwide. The conference was comprised of six sessions: Session 1: Introduction to the conference and 
tackling cancer health disparities; Session 2: Elimination of cancer health disparities; Session 3: Cancer 
cellular and molecular biology; Session 4: Diversity and Inclusion in cancer research: Session 5: Poster and 
oral presentations, and Early career investigator talks; Session 6: An award ceremony and closing remarks. 
This conference report summarizes the meeting’s content, discussions, and conclusions. 

KEYWORDS: Research symposium, cancer health disparities, cancer biology, drug delivery, medical 
research. 

Citation: Yallapu MM et al (2022) Highlights from International Conference on Cancer Health Disparities 
.Cancer Health Disparities 6:e1-9. doi:10.9777/chd.2022.1001 
 
 
  



 
 
 
 
 

 
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INTRODUCTION 
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) 
is located at the United States (US)-Mexico border, 
a region predominately Latino/Hispanic. UTRGV is 
the second largest Hispanic-serving institution in 
the US and has a special focus on addressing health 
disparities in the Rio Grande Valley, where 
approximately 1.4 million people reside. In view of 
the region’s urgent needs, the School of Medicine 
(SOM) was founded in 2015 to provide improved 
health care, medical educational, and biomedical 
research. UTRGV-SOM is strategically positioned to 
improve the lives and well-being of surrounding 
communities through innovative research and 
patient-centered care. UTRGV-SOM attracting and 
supporting research that will help to address the 
health disparities of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) 
Latino/Hispanic population. As a part of its mission 
to educate a diverse group of medical students, 
residents, and future biomedical scientists, in 2017 
the SOM began hosting an annual Research 
Symposium. To date, UTRGV-SOM has successfully 
held three annual research symposiums on health 
disparities in the Rio Grande Valley (1-3). These 
symposiums have provided continued medical 
education, promoted minority communities to 
participate in health and health disparities research, 
and advocated attention to health issues that affect 
Hispanic and other underserved communities. 

Considering the numerous cancer health disparities 
that exist in the RGV region, UTRGV-SOM sought to 
focus the 4th Annual UTRGV-SOM Research 
Symposium on cancer health disparities. The 
research symposium titled the “International 
Conference on Cancer Health Disparities (ICCHD-
2021)” which was held during August 13-14, 2021. 
Because the RGV region is a hot spot for several 
cancer heath disparities (liver, gall bladder, stomach 
and cervical), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) graciously 

sponsored this conference (1R13CA254453-01; 
Principal Investigators: Subhash C. Chauhan and 
Andrew Tsin) along with the UTRGV-SOM. Our 
scientific agenda showcased collaborative and 
community-engaged research in which researchers, 
practitioners, and communities (e.g., biomedical, 
clinical and translational science) discussed global 
cancer health disparities in a single forum. The 
ICCHD-2021 emphasized how the scientific and 
medical research community can interact with 
community health organizations/workers to discuss 
the common goal of addressing global minority 
health and health disparities. The research studies 
include many projects focused on health disparities 
among Hispanic, African American, and American 
Asian/Indian populations. ICCHD-2021 included 
presentations including, but not limited to, the US, 
Canada, Mexico, Latin American, and Asian, African, 
and European countries. Many UTRGV-SOM teams 
conduct research and work with Hispanic, African 
American, American Indian, and American Asian 
populations in the U.S. The ICCHD-2021 closely 
aligns with the mission of the NCI and National 
Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities 
(NIMHD), that is, to support global cancer research 
and cancer health disparity research to advance 
scientific knowledge and help all people live 
longer/maintain a quality lifestyle after cancer 
diagnosis/treatment. 

Cancer health disparities impact millions of people 
across the US and around the globe (4-6). 
Disparities in cancer burden/prevalence, incidence, 
and health outcomes are evident by race/ethnicity, 
geography, genetics, gender, culture, and sexual 
orientation. Cancer health disparities are primarily 
due to not only to poor access to health care, co-
morbidities, chronic stress, and ancestry, but also 
correspond to cultural, socio-economic, biological, 
and environmental factors. Thus, there is a critical 
need for research on global health disparities 
impacting disadvantaged populations. We are 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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keenly aware of the need for a diverse scientific 
workforce to foster scientific innovation, global 
health, and community service. ICCHD-2021 was 
aimed to promote a robust learning environment, 
to improve the quality of research, and to advance 
participation of global health disparity populations 
who benefit from health research. The community 
outreach program during the ICCHD-2021 
promoted information dissemination and enhanced 
public trust essential for the success of intervention 
programs to reduce and eliminate US-Mexico 
border and global cancer health disparities. 

The prime objectives of ICCHD-2021 were 1) To 
provide a unique platform for open scientific 
discussions between basic, clinical, and translational 
cancer researchers from institutions on both sides 
of the US-Mexico border and from other 
international institutions, 2) To introduce health 
disparities concepts and educate new investigators 
in global cancer health disparity research and 
organize community-based participatory research 
and outreach, and 3) To enable interprofessional 
and transdisciplinary partnerships to bring 
awareness and help eliminate minority health 
disparities in the U.S. and other countries. 

The ICCHD-2021 reports recent advances in 
understanding of the causes of cancer health 
disparities in rural populations and among various 
ethnicities. The ICCHD-2021 also focused on the 
roles of financial hardship and the tumor immune 
profile in causing outcome disparities and discuss 
evidence-based strategies to reduce these 
disparities. The ICCHD-2021 was comprised of six 
sessions and reported on various health disparities-
related topics, discussions, interaction, 
engagement, and collaboration among 
participants, administrators, state and federal 
officials, and stakeholders. Despite the ongoing 
COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 200 participants 
from more than 10 countries attended the ICCHD-

2021 either in-person or through digital online 
platforms. Among these participants were several 
renowned faculty, researchers, scientists, and 
students from reputed institutions, centers, 
hospitals, and universities. Overall, the majority of 
participants were from academic and research 
institutions. 

Summary of the conference 
The ICCHD-2021 not only aligns with the mission of 
the NCI Global Health Center, but it is novel to the 
region and is one of the few health disparity 
research conferences in the US with an emphasis on 
cancer research in minority health and health 
disparities. The ICCHD-2021 opened a platform to 
transform the biomedical and health disparity 
research culture in the Rio Grande Valley and 
beyond. Access was broadened at the ICCHD-2021 
through novel health disparity content and 
approaches, work with community health 
organizations and health workers, and 
simultaneous Spanish interpretation of sessions. 

The ICCHD-2021 was comprised of six sessions: 
Session 1: Introduction to the conference and 
tackling cancer health disparities; Session 2: 
Elimination of cancer health disparities; Session 3: 
Cancer cellular and molecular biology; Session 4: 
Diversity and inclusion in cancer research: Session 
5: Poster and oral presentations, and Early career 
investigator talks; and Session 6: An award 
ceremony and closing remarks. 

Dr. Subhash C. Chauhan, Professor and Chairman 
of the Department of Immunology and 
Microbiology and the Director of South Texas 
Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of 
Medicine, UTRGV, opened the conference by 
warmly welcoming and greeting to participants. He 
introduced Dr. Michael B. Hocker, Dean, School of 
Medicine, UTRGV; Honorable Christopher Boswell, 
Mayor, City of Harlingen; and Dr. Parwinder Grewal, 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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Executive Vice President, Research, Graduate 
Studies, and New Program Development, UTRGV. 
They briefly shared the roles and engagement of 
the Cancer Center, School of Medicine, City of 
Harlingen, and university research and graduate 
programs addressing cancer and cancer health 
disparities in the RGV region, Texas, the US, and 
around the globe. 

Day 1 opened with two plenary presentations and 
two keynote talks by world renowned speakers. This 
session was moderated by Dr. Chauhan. Dr. Rina 
Das, Program Officer, Division of Integrative 
Biological and Behavioral Sciences, NIMHD, 
presented on the topic “NIMHD Mission and 
Programs in Health Disparities,” which delineated 
programs that exist for investigators, researchers, 
and students. Next, Dr. Jose A. Torres Ruiz, 
Chancellor at Ponce Health Sciences University 
(PHSU) in Ponce, Puerto Rico, focused on 
“Eliminating Cancer Health Disparities through the 
PHSU Specialized Center in Health Disparities.” He 
described the implementation of cancer health 
disparity research at the PHSU. After this, Dr. Renu 
Wadhwa, Professor of the School of Integrative and 
Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Japan, 
presented on “Experimental evidence to the 
bioactivities of propolis constituents, Caffeic Acid 
Phenethyl Ester and Artepillin C presentation” which 
reports the feasibility of implementing natural 
agents for cancer prevention. As a concluding talk, 
Dr. Jamboor K. Viswanatha, Regents Professor and 
Vice President, and Director of Texas Center for 
Health Disparities, University of North Texas Health 
Science Center, presented on “MIEN1 in regulation 
of migration and invasion in prostate and breast 
cancers” correlating how use of MIEN1 can be 
extended in tackling cancer health disparities. 

Of equally high standards as the first session, Day 2 
started with a morning session on elimination of 
cancer health disparities moderated by Dr. Bilal 

Hafeez, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, 
UTRGV. Dr. Sunil Saini, Director of Cancer Research 
Institute, Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, Swami 
Rama Himalayan University, India, presented his 
team work on “Multitude of Disparities in Cancer 
Care in India”. This work primarily relates to India 
where approximately 70% of the rural population 
have very limited access to cancer care and facilities. 
Additionally, India needs specifically tailored cancer 
control strategies, taking into account the time, 
current trends, and resources available to patients. 
The next presentation was delivered by Dr. Junichi 
Fujii, Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 
Yamagata University, Japan. His presentation 
focused on “Genetically modified mice that 
undergo both oxidative stress and endoplasmic 
reticulum stress spontaneously develop 
hepatocellular carcinoma” which confirmed the 
development of a suitable animal model that 
transitions from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis 
(NASH) to Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 
progression. This DKO model undergoes 
oxidative/ER stress that would clarify the 
pathogenesis of HCC development initiated by 
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). During 
the morning, a presentation was made by nationally 
renowned physician scientist, Dr. Daniel Petereit, 
Member of Monument Health Cancer Care 
Institute, Monument Health, on a topic “The 
Walking Forward Cancer Disparity Program: A 
Model for Community Cancer Control”. Dr. Petereit 
is a prominent researcher looking at cancer health 
disparities in the Native American population of the 
Northern Plains. He presented his work of two 
decades on the cancer disparity program that was 
implemented in South Dakota in collaboration with 
local ethnic groups. The final talk of this session was 
presented by Dr. Dulal Panda, Chair Professor, 
Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering, IIT 
Bombay, from India. His presentation on “Inhibition 
of Wnt/β-Catenin signaling is a prominent 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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antitumor activity of microtubule-targeting 
anticancer drugs” provided more understanding of 
the mechanism of anticancer action of microtubule 
targeted drugs towards development of antimitotic 
agents. 

The third session of the symposium was on cellular 
and molecular biology and determinants of cancer 
health disparities. This was the first breakout 
session, held during the morning of the second day. 
In Hall A’s breakout session, Dr. Manish Tripathi 
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, UTRGV and 
Dr. Sheema Khan, Assistant Professor, School of 
Medicine, UTRGV, were session moderators. First, 
Dr. Keshav Singh, Professor, Department of 
Genetics, UAB School of Medicine, presented a 
keynote talk on “Mitochondrial Determinants of 
Cancer Health Disparities.” His work documents a 
number of findings that demonstrate how 
mitochondria contributes to determining cancer 
health disparities. Dr. Mehdi Shakibaei, Professor - 
Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig Maximilian University, 
Munich, from Germany delivered a presentation on 
“Calebin A decreases tumor microenvironment 
inducing EMT in CRC cells via modulation of NF-
kB/Slug axis.” His team’s study indicates that the 
tumor microenvironment has a pivotal impact on 
tumor progression, and epithelial-mesenchymal 
transition is an extremely crucial initial event in the 
metastatic process in various cancers which can be 
prevented by employing a naturally occurring 
molecule, Calebin A (an ingredient in Curcuma 
longa). In the next presentation, Dr. Upender 
Manne, Director/ Professor, Anatomic Pathology, 
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of 
Medicine, presented recent outcomes of his study 
on “Interplay of Molecular Factors and Comorbid 
Conditions in Cancer Disparities.” This work shows 
how distinct molecular alterations contribute to 
cancer health disparities, and he continues 
investigating various molecular factors and 
comorbid condition analyses through a grant from 

the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities 
branch of the National Cancer Institute 
(U54CA118948). In the concluding presentation, a 
breakout session was presented by Dr. Nadeem 
Zafar, Director, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 
Service, VA-Washington, from Seattle on the topic 
“Promoting Healthcare as A Career for Minority 
Students To Fight Cancer Health Disparity,” which 
referred to a number of points on cancer disparities 
in terms of differences in cancer measures which 
can be minimized by education, frequent/annual 
medical visits/test, minority community awareness, 
and the welfare pipeline. Dr. Zafar’s work also 
emphasizes how awareness of healthcare careers 
for American minority populations can be 
enhanced by medical schools’ educational 
programs/components. 

In the morning breakout session in Hall B, Dr. 
Subash Gupta, Assistant Professor, Institute of 
Science, Banaras Hindu University, and Dr. 
Ajaikumar Kunnumakkara, Professor, Department 
of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute 
of Technology Guwahati, from India were session 
moderators. Dr. Subash Gupta delivered the 
keynote presentation on the special topic 
“Unraveling the long non-coding RNA signatures 
for gall bladder cancer”. His team findings identified 
a distinct role of long non-coding RNA for initiation, 
progression, and metastasis of cancer cells in 
vitro/in vivo models which needs to be further 
verified and investigated in human samples. Dr. 
Alok Bharti, Professor, Department of Zoology, 
University of Delhi, India, delivered the next 
presentation on “Plant-derived homeopathic 
preparations with anti-cervical cancer and anti-
Human papillomavirus activity as alternative to 
mitigate cancer health disparity”. His data supports 
the use of homeopathic preparations as a 
promising cost effective and safe alternative for 
cancer therapeutics against cervical cancer in low-
resource settings. Dr. Anshika Arora, Assistant 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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Professor, Swami Rama Himalayan University, India, 
described their team work on “Association of 
Nutritional Status with Failure to Complete Planned 
Treatment in patients with HNSCC- a prospective 
cohort study in a Tertiary cancer center in Northern 
India”. This study confirms that various nutritional 
parameters (weight, BMI, MUAC, weight loss, and 
SGA score) are highly associated with failure to 
complete treatment. Thus, it advises that disparities 
in the nutritional status of patients undergoing 
treatment for Head and neck squamous cell 
carcinomas need to be acknowledged. Another 
distinct talk on “Disparities in Occurrence of Cancer 
Due to Different Treatment Modalities in 
Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients” was delivered by Dr. 
Varsha Gupta, Assistant Professor, Department of 
Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and 
Biotechnology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj 
University, India. Her study addresses disparities in 
the occurrence of various cancers with respect to 
different treatment modalities in rheumatoid 
arthritis patients. Mr. Erik Steinfelder, Director, 
Biobanking Market Development, Thermo Fisher 
Scientific, presented on “Biobanking in Cancer 
Related Research” and described how Thermo 
Fisher Scientific can be part of cancer health 
disparity research. The last presentation on “Health 
Disparities in Oral Cancer” was given by Dr. 
Ajaikumar Kunnumakkara, Professor, Indian 
Institute of Technology Guwahati, India. He 
addressed the association of risk factors such as 
tobacco smoking, alcohol intake, areca nut, human 
papillomavirus (HPV), and poor oral hygiene on oral 
cancer etiology in eastern India. 

The fourth session in the afternoon on Day 2 
focused on cancer health disparities in the RGV and 
around the globe. In Hall A, Dr. Subhash C. 
Chauhan moderated the session. In this breakout 
session, Dr. Patty Moore, Director of Academic 
Research, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute 
of Texas (CPRIT), presented a “CPRIT-overview” 

which broadened the horizons for investigators at 
Texas institutions seeking to apply for and conduct 
cancer prevention and community outreach 
research. The second talk was by Dr. Vijian Dhevan, 
General Surgeon, UT Health RGV, who presented 
on “Cancer Disparities in the Lower Rio Grande 
Valley”. This work discussed disparities among 
various types of cancers in the RGV region 
comparing them to the broader area of south 
Texas, the state as a whole, and nationally. Later, Dr. 
Rakesh Kumar, Distinguished Professor, National 
Chair in Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for 
Biotechnology, India, portrayed his life-time 
experience through the presentation “Science and 
Medicine: A Priceless Journey” which summarized 
the contribution of his laboratory over the past few 
decades to fundamental molecular events to cancer 
progression and metastasis. He also shared his 
thoughts on how these findings may offer new 
opportunities in health disparity cancer research. 

The other breakout session in Hall B was moderated 
by Dr. Subash Gupta and Dr. Ajaikumar 
Kunnumakkara. Dr. Rajesh Singh, Associate 
Professor, Microbiology, Biochemistry & 
Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 
presented a keynote talk titled “CCR5/CCL5 axis 
plays an essential role in Liver Cancer Racial 
Disparity”. This work explained the involvement of 
chemokines in various cancers and their stimulation 
of the chemokine receptors expressed in cancer 
cells. He proposed that blockage of the CCR5/CCL5 
interaction could induce apoptosis, confirming that 
the CCR5/CCL5 interaction might be an interesting 
target for managing and treating HCC in humans 
and HCC associated disparities. The next work was 
presented by Dr. Eduardo C. Lazcano-Ponce, Dean, 
El Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Mexico, on 
the special topic “The Epidemiologic Panorama of 
Cancer in Mexico” which describes several key 
insights into cancer disparities across the country. 
Later, Dr. Catherine Kaschula, Senior Lecturer, 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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Stellenbosch University, South Africa, from South 
Africa delivered her presentation on “Investigations 
into the cytotoxic mechanism of the garlic 
compound ajoene in cancer cells”. This study has 
identified and validated a number of targets, many 
of which contain reactive cysteines involved in the 
maintenance of cancer homeostasis. The 
concluding presentation of this session was 
delivered by Dr. Shailesh Singh, Professor, 
Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology, 
Morehouse School of Medicine. His presentation 
focused on “Associate of CC chemokines with 
Breast Cancer Disparity”. His team concluded that 
there is a significant association of CC-chemokines 
in breast cancer progression and disparate disease 
outcome in African American (AA) compared to 
European American (EA) patients. 

The fifth session of the symposium included poster 
and oral presentations, and early career investigator 
talks focused on diversity and inclusion in cancer 
and health disparities research. There were about 
127 poster and 61 oral presentations, out of which 1 
high school, 11 undergraduate, 20 medical students, 
36 graduate students, 15 residents, 8 fellows, 5 
faculty, and 5 staff (poster presentations) and 16 
flash talks and 30 oral videos (oral presentations). 
The early career investigator flash talks session was 
moderated by Dr. Murali Yallapu, Associate 
Professor, School of Medicine, UTRGV. The flash 
talk topics included: Gene-by-Environment 
Expression and Calculation of the Frailty Index (Dr. 
Eron Grant Manusov); Mind, Body and Race: A Look 
Into How Implicit Biases Influence the Perception of 
Emotion (Faiza Ahmad, UTRGV Medical Student); 
Multiple RSV strains infecting HEp-2 and A549 cells 
reveal cell line-dependent differences in resistance 
to RSV infection (Dr. Felipe-Andres Piedra); Human 
iPSC derived cardiomyocyte model reveals the 
transcriptomic bases of COVID-19 associated 
myocardial injury (Miss. Kashish Kumar, High School 
Student); Production of codon optimized 

Polyomavirus (Dr. Luis M. Rodriguez Martinez); 
Center for Diabetes and Metabolism, a 
collaborative dream comes true (Claudia Munguia, 
MPH); Smoking and Drinking Activates NF-κB /IL-6 
Axis to Promote Inflammation During Cervical 
Carcinogenesis (Dr. Vivek K. Kashyap); 
Development and validation of a simple clinical 
construct for prediction of new type 2 diabetes 
mellitus (Xavier Rios, Undergraduate Student); 
Cross-linked nanocomplexes for drug delivery 
applications (Sumeet S. Chauhan, Undergraduate 
Student); Potential Involvement of a Glycoprotein 
MUC13 Mucin in Colorectal Cancer Health Disparity 
(Dr. Manish K. Tripathi); Targeting tumor associated 
macrophages to improve the immunotherapy of 
pancreatic cancer (Dr. Bilal Hafeez); Therapeutic 
intervention using autologous exosomes for 
treatment of early-stage pancreatic cancer (Dr. 
Sheema Khan); Exploration of potential natural 
inhibitors against KRAS-G12D in PanCan: Protein 
centered pharmacophore HTVS approach (Dr. 
Anupam Dhasmana); Mucin MUC13 and YAP1 
correlate with poor survival in colorectal cancer (Dr. 
Sudhir Kotnala); Tuberculosis in elderly Hispanics: 
BCG vaccination at birth is protective and diabetes 
is not a risk factor (Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo); Case 
report: Chronic diabetes and COVID-19: A perfect 
storm for reactivation tuberculosis (TB)? (Dr. Blanca 
I. Restrepo); and Addressing PKD1 in Prostate 
Cancer Disparity: Implication for Drug Repurposing 
Dr. Mohammed Sikander). 

In all sessions, there is a window of two to five 
minutes discussion on all topics. During this 
question-and-answer session a topic relevant 
content was discussed. It was noticed that a highly 
engaged discussions among various participants 
and presenters. Notable incidents are regarding 
CPRIT opportunities and development of new 
programs, cancer health disparity community 
engagement research queries, and delineating 
cancer biology in health disparity research, etc. 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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The final session of the program included an Award 
ceremony and closing remarks. Dr. Subhash C. 
Chauhan and Dr. Murali Yallapu described the 
various award category honors and selection 
criteria. A dedicated committee and chair oversaw 
the selection process and only works with technical 
excellence were recommended for an award. 
Award categories included honors for significant 
technical expertise in both oral and poster 
presenters from undergraduate students (4), 
graduate students (7), medical students (3), resident 
fellows (5), postdoctoral fellows/staff scientists (5), 
and young investigators/ faculty (4). To encourage 
international participants, there was a separate 
category allotted for international participants (11). 
All work of technical excellence in posters and oral 
talks received a distinctive engraved award plaque 
and certificate signed by the conference chairman. 
At the final stage of the program, a vote of thanks 
to all participants and organizers was extended by 
Dr. Subhash C. Chauhan (Chairman of the Scientific 
Committee ICCHD-2021). He also provided a brief 
overview of the meeting, feedback received, and 
future plans. At the end of the meeting, Dr. 
Chauhan also announced the continuation of the 
“International Conference on Cancer Health 
Disparities” conference on an annual basis. 

Conclusions 
The first two-day annual International Conference 
on Cancer Health Disparities (ICCHD) was 
conducted by the UTRGV-SOM as the 4th Annual 
Research Symposium. The ICCHD-2021 was held on 
August 13-14, 2021, at the Harlingen Convention 
Center, Harlingen, TX, USA, as hybrid event (both 
physical and virtual live programs). The conference 
was comprised of six sessions: introduction and 
tackling cancer health disparities; elimination of 
cancer health disparities; cancer cellular and 
molecular biology; diversity and inclusion in cancer 
research, poster, and oral presentations; early 

career investigator talks; followed by an award 
ceremony and closing remarks. A network of 
colleagues from academia, the community, and 
health care joined to promoted various themes of 
cancer health disparities via special talks, 
showcasing research work, and continuing 
professional development programs. The success 
of this program can be seen in the participation of 
~200 delegates from more than 10 countries. This 
accomplishment resulted from the commitment 
and participation of volunteers, UTRGV leadership, 
NIH, CPRIT, as well as city officials, clinicians, faculty 
members, researchers, scientists, bioinformaticians, 
geneticists, bioethics, and other members. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
We acknowledge strong support and contributions 
from the UTRGV-SOM, UTRGV Executive Vice 
President of Research, and the National Cancer 
Institute (NCI/NIH/NIMHD). We also acknowledge 
anonymous sponsors who provided generous 
contributions for the successful hosting of this 
international event. The authors thank the scientific, 
event planning, and finance committees for their 
tremendous efforts in the organization of this event. 
These committees include, Dr. Subhash C. 
Chauhan, Dr. Murali Yallapu, Dr. Andrew Tsin, Dr. 
Lisa Trevino, Dr. Meena Jaggi, Dr. Dae Kim, Dr. 
Sheema Khan, Dr. Bilal Hafeez, Dr. Jennifer Cahn, 
Dr. Juan Lopez-Alvarenga, Dr. Beatriz Bautista, Dr. 
Anupam Dhasmana, Ms. Ana I. Martinez Bulnes, Mr. 
Aaron De La Cruz, Mr. Jorge Teniente, Mrs. Edith 
Kolahdouz, Mrs. Aniella Perez, Ms. Dorian Garcia, 
Ms. Stephanie Sharpe, Mr. Loren Clark, Dr. Vivek 
Kashyap, Dr. Jay Morrow, Dr. Paulina Vega, Dr. 
Heriberto Cantu, Ms. Elizabeth Lim, Mr. Matt 
Hidalgo, Ms. Sonal Jha, Dr. Karen Martirosyan, Mr. 
Javier Zambrano, Dr. Manish Tripathi, Mrs. Isabel 
Nicasio. We also thank the University of Texas Rio 
Grande Valley and Harlingen Convention Center in 
hosting the hybrid conference live and zoom 



 
 
 
 
 

 
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meetings. Additionally, funding support by SOM-
UTRGV, and the National Institute on Minority 
Health and Health Disparities (R13 CA254453 to 
Subhash Chauhan and Andrew Tsin). We 
aknowledge Dr. Jennifer Cahn for proof reading this 
manuscript. 

Conflicts of interest 
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. 

Authors' contributions 
M.M.Y. drafted the manuscript. S.C.C., J.T, A.T., and 
MMY participated in review and edition of the 
manuscript.  

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	INTRODUCTION
	Summary of the conference
	Conclusions
	ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
	Conflicts of interest
	Authors' contributions

