Gravitt Discusses Cancer Health Disparities Research at October IGH Seminar

October 2024

On October 2, Havey Institute for Global Health and Lurie Cancer Center hosted an in-person IGH Seminar featuring Patti Gravitt, PhD, MS from the National Cancer Institute.

Gravitt spoke about cancer health disparities and detailed her time at the National Cancer Institute with her presentation, "Implementation and Cancer Health Disparities Research at the NCI Center for Global Health: Equity, Collaboration, and Impact." 

Patti Gravitt, PhD, MS from the National Cancer Institute presenting at the October IGH Seminar.

In the presentation, Gravitt highlighted the importance of addressing complexities head-on and applying a systems thinking approach to 1) understand the system, 2) find leverage, 3) act strategically, and 4) learn and adapt. She also noted the value of mixed methods to break out of a paradigm.

Patti Gravitt, PhD, is a molecular epidemiologist and implementation scientist whose research in human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer spans the translational spectrum from the natural history of genital infection to the translation of evidence-based prevention tools to low- and middle-income countries. Her efforts have contributed significantly to the evidence base regarding the efficacy and implementation effectiveness of alternative cervical cancer screening strategies in low resource settings.

The seminar was held in Simpson Querrey Auditorium and was co-sponsored by Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.