NCCN Policy Summit: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Cancer Workforce

Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the cancer workforce is critical to ensuring equitable health care outcomes for all populations. Challenges such as systemic bias, lack of mentorship opportunities, and insufficient funding for DEI initiatives hinder progress in creating a workforce that reflects the diverse patient population in the United States. Supporting DEI is a crucial strategy to enhance the effectiveness of cancer care and research. A cancer workforce that prioritizes DEI can enhance patient trust, improve health outcomes, and foster a culture of inclusivity. As the oncology landscape continues to evolve, political landscapes continue to shift, and patient populations become increasingly more diverse, stakeholders can navigate these complexities by working collaboratively to protect and advance initiatives to improve workforce representation, ultimately transforming the cancer care system into a more equitable and effective system for all. To advance the conversation on the importance of developing and implementing policy and practice strategies to support DEI in the cancer workforce, NCCN hosted the Policy Summit “Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Cancer Workforce” on September 10, 2024, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Through keynote addresses and multistakeholder panel discussions, this hybrid event explored topics such as current cancer workforce challenges across both clinical and research professionals, the importance of representation in the health care workforce and its impact on care outcomes, and policy opportunities to improve recruitment and retention of diverse staff. Speakers and attendees featured multidisciplinary perspectives, including patients, providers, researchers, industry, caregivers, community-based organizations, patient advocates, and payers.