The Florez Lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Improving the care of vulnerable populations and supporting trainees from underrepresented groups in medicine

ABSTRACT

Background: Racial and ethnic minorities have well-established disparities in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survival. A diverse oncology workforce improves the gap in cancer care for vulnerable populations. However, physicians, researchers, and others who are Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) face unique challenges in obtaining mentorship and sponsorship, and there is a lack of safe spaces for them to thrive, forcing many to leave medicine entirely. To further efforts in improving the care of vulnerable populations and to create a welcoming environment for UIM medical trainees, the Florez Lab (formerly known as the Duma Lab) was founded by Dr. Narjust Florez in 2019 at the University of Wisconsin. Subsequently, Dr. Florez moved to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and expanded the lab's reach. Here, we describe the history and legacy of our innovative group. Method(s) The Florez Lab is composed of 39 members, mostly UIM from different backgrounds and locations;members range from college students to faculty. It began as an allfemale team but now includes #HeforShe member allies. Several members joined as trainees, but are now junior faculty at NCI designated cancer centers and pay it forward by mentoring the next generation of the Florez Lab. We focus on social justice issues in medicine, including discrimination and gender bias in academic and clinical medicine, global oncology, and cancer health disparities, with a focus on thoracic oncology. Result(s) To date, the Florez Lab has secured research funding from several institutions and organizations, and has published 15 original articles, 11 editorials, 4 review articles, and 2 book chapters in addition to over 20 poster presentations at national and international conferences. Members have presented research findings at a wide array of national and international conferences, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and the World Conference on Lung Cancer, and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. The lab collaborates with multiple organizations, including the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19), ASCO Health Equity Committee, and the Lancet Commission Women & Cancer. The lab is far-reaching;the #DumaLab and #FlorezLab hashtag is used on Twitter to amplify published work and advocacy efforts in improving the diversity of the oncology workforce and clinical trial enrollment. In 2021 the Florez Lab began a collaboration with Medscape and is the first lab to have a dedicated column, where we discuss issues related to social justice in medicine and cancer health disparities;the column has reached over 60,000 readers in less than one year. Conclusion(s) The success of the Florez Lab illustrates the importance of providing opportunities for, supporting, and amplifying the success of UIM trainees. Results indicate that the collaboration of UIM trainees is productive, meaningful, and necessary. Efforts should be made to continue supporting UIM trainees from all backgrounds and levels.