Andrew von Eschenbach		Ralph Vance

At the fifth Asian American Cancer Control Academy in Sacramento, more than 100 leading authorities from throughout the United States will gather to share best practices and research findings.

Academy highlights:

• keynote addresses by Andrew von Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute, and Ralph Vance, national president of the American Cancer Society
• groundbreaking research into dietary risk factors for cancer among Asian American Pacific Islander groups in California
• new Asian American Pacific Islander cancer incidence and mortality statistics for California, including new data about the Hmong
• new data on tobacco use and tobacco-control programs in Asian American Pacific Islander communities nationwide
• updates on Asian American Pacific Islander participation in cancer clinical trials

"We have high hopes that this meeting will advance the cause of reducing cancer health disparities for Asian Americans and ethnic minorities in general," said academy superintendent Kurt Snipes, chief of the California Department of Health Services' Cancer Control, Planning, Research and Disparities Section.

The Asian American Cancer Control Academy is the annual conference of the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training, made up of investigators from UC Davis, UCSF, UCLA, the University of Hawaii, the University of Washington, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, Harvard University and Columbia University. Known as AANCART, the network is funded by an $8.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. Its goal is to reduce cancer in Asian Americans nationwide. UC Davis is the network's national headquarters.

The academy is co-sponsored by AANCART, UC Davis Cancer Center, the California Department of Health Services, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Office of Minority Health, Region IX.

Hosts of the academy include the Hmong Women's Heritage Association and the Council of Asian Pacific Islanders Together for Advocacy and Leadership. Both organizations are based in Sacramento.

For more information about the academy, visit www.aancart.org.