CANCER BUZZ interviews outgoing President, Lekan Ajayi, and incoming President, Nadine Barrett, about their respective ACCC President’s Themes, the programs and resources ACCC developed in the past year, the Association’s 50th Anniversary, and more.
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On March 1, 2024, ACCC elected a new president and board of trustees for the 2024 -2025 term. CANCER BUZZ interviews outgoing President, Lekan Ajayi, and incoming President, Nadine Barrett, about their respective ACCC President’s Themes, the programs and resources ACCC developed in the past year, the state of the oncology workforce, ACCC’s role in improving health equity, the Association’s 50th Anniversary, and more.
“[Last year] ACCC set out to rebuild and upskill the workforce to deliver the next generation oncology care...it’s been enlightening, and there's been so much learning that’s been made available…I think through the power of sharing, we can all be better together.” - Lekan Ajayi
“The oncology workforce. currently is at a point of inflection really. I think what we know now is that we need to invest to be better…what we've been able to do is create a popular awareness amongst leaders in the industry of the need to invest in the workforce and also to give them tools to be able to do exactly that.” - Lekan Ajayi
“Health equity is part of the core of ACCC, to want to advance equity, to want to think about what health equity and cancer looks like…ACCC is very much committed to recognizing that it takes a national and global community to create the change.” - Nadine Barrett
Guests:
Lekan Ajayi
Immediate Past President, Association of Cancer Care Centers
Chief Operating Officer
Highlands Oncology Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Nadine Barrett
President, Association of Cancer Care Centers
Professor of Social Science and Health Policy
Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Equity Research
Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement
Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest School of Medicine
Additional Reading/Sources
Reimagining Community Engagement and Health Equity in Cancer
Re(Building) the Oncology Workforce to Deliver Next Generation Care
The Importance of Developing Health Equity Initiatives
Social Drivers of Health: The Role or Representation in the Health Care Workforce
A Look at the Emerging Role of Health Equity Institutes
Population Health Navigators: An Innovative Approach for Supporting Underserved Patients
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Cancer Care Centers.
July 8, 2026
June 30, 2026
At the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, the Louisiana Oncology Society received the ASCO Jeffrey C Ward Affiliate Advocacy Award for advancing critical advocacy priorities that have translated into meaningful legislative victories. The Iowa Oncology Society and Washington State Medical Oncology Society were also recognized for their advocacy efforts in 2025 at the meeting, receiving second place awards.
