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Serena Williams is supporting innovation in women’s health. Teal Health The tennis star has aligned herself with Teal Health, a women’s health startup founded by Kara Egan (CEO) and Dr. Avnesh Thakor in 2020. According to the company website, Teal Health’s inception trickles back to Thakor’s medical experiences over the years. He observed insufficient innovation around cervical cancer screenings and created a self-collect prototype. With Egan’s two decades of experience in finance, health, and technology, the company was formed with the vision to develop an at-home self-collect cervical cancer screening kit, currently under FDA review. A user can start by requesting a kit, which initiates a vetting process to confirm eligibility. Once approved, the kit will be delivered to your home for sample collection. The sample is then mailed to a lab, and results are shared through Teal Health’s application. Users also have the option to speak with a provider for additional support. Teal...
After overcoming a battle with a rare cancer, Gwynda Jones tag-teamed with her daughter to take a leap into entrepreneurship. Pivot From Corporate America Gwynda spent three decades working as a project manager for PepsiCo. She made the decision to walk away from corporate America in 2020 due to a health issue she discovered unrelated to the cancer. While in retirement, she realized she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel completely. “I’m sitting here. My daughter’s coming home from college soon. She may or may not come home from college. I knew that I didn’t wanna just be sitting around,” Gwynda told AFROTECH™. “So then I start contemplating a business and what could I do. I couldn’t do the high pressure corporate job that’s international, required me to travel and all of this, but I can do something. So I thought about franchising, and it sounded like, ‘Okay. I got a whole global company working for me, doing all the leg work, and I can follow? I can take instructors. I can hire a...
Bright mind Heman Bekele has been named TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Bekele, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, developed the idea to create a Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS), which resulted in a “compound based bar of soap charged with different types of cancer-fighting chemicals.” According to TIME, the soap incorporates imiquimod, which is a drug used in treating one form of skin cancer as well as other skin-related issues. “It’s supposed to help heal the skin internally, which will then show results externally because the skin cancer will slowly start to fade away,” Bekele explained in 2023. This led to him being recognized that year as “America’s Top Young Scientist” in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the nation’s premier middle school science competition created by 3M and Discovery Education. Bekele became the first Black scientist to receive the honor at 14 years old. “It’s incredible, and it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime type of...
Meagan Good is raising awareness for an issue that hits close to home. The actress will be shedding light on endometrial cancer through a partnership with FORCE, SHARE, Black Health Matters, and Eisai Inc. for the Spot Her® campaign. According to a press release, the campaign hopes to help many across the globe pinpoint the early signs of endometrial cancer. The press release also revealed Good once had “a uterine cancer scare” after a doctor found an irregularity in her uterus. The actress later had surgery to remove the tissue as it was deemed that it could possibly become cancerous. Now, Good takes greater precautions for her gynecologic health and she hopes more are inspired to follow suit through the campaign. “Gynecologic health is an important conversation to have at any age, but it’s not often discussed, especially in the Black community,” said Good, according to a press release. “I’m not afraid to have open and honest conversations with my friends, family and doctor about...
Sir Mix-A-Lot is one of the latest musicians to join in on the non-fungible token (NFT) action. Anthony L. Ray — better known as Sir Mix-A-Lot — is teaming up with META-X Studios to launch his debut collection of unique NFTs titled “BIT BUTTS.” According to a press release, the drop provides “cheeky” fun to celebrate the success of the 1992 hit song “Baby Got Back” and will also bring attention to cancer research and raise funds. “NFTs are a supercharged media for storytellers,” said META-X Studios CEO, Joe Sichta, in a press release. “We chose BIT BUTTS as our debut launch because we all need a good laugh right now for a good cause. Working with Sir Mix-a-Lot and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance was the perfect fit to showcase our firepower as an NFT creative factory, while raising awareness of a serious issue that can be embarrassing to talk about. We’re out to de-stigmatize colorectal cancer with a bit of ridiculous fun, and to donate a portion of the proceeds to support the work...
Ciara hopes to see improved health narratives for Black women, starting with cervical cancer. The music legend recently penned a letter for NBC News to advocate for cervical care. According to a recent study, Black women die from cervical cancer at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group in the nation. The reality is jarring as the cancer is preventable and treatable. However, due to medical bias and racial disparities, Black women are more likely to be left in the dark. “The common narrative around Black women and cervical cancer is that we are ‘disproportionately’ affected by it. Astonishingly, Black women are twice as likely to die from cervical cancer than white women, but it’s not because of biology — it’s because of health care disparities, systemic racism and long-held inequities,” Ciara wrote. “This must change. It’s time for us to champion a new narrative — one driven by confidence and strength that extends, rather than ends, a healthy and joyful life.”
This father-son duo is transforming the lives of cancer patients right alongside each other. After Dr. David Randolph II was moved by the impact his father had on patients, he realized he also wanted to become a vessel to improve the quality of life for others, Inside Edition reports. Eventually, he and his father, Dr. David Randolph, became radiation oncologists at the Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond, VA. “I was able to witness the impact that he had, and see how he was able to help these people and that’s what really started my interest in medicine — just seeing that you can have anything in the world that you want, but if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything, and being able to help improve or restore people’s health is something that’s very meaningful,” David Randolph II of the father-son duo said, according to Inside Edition.
Boris Kodjoe is on a mission to help more men take action when it comes to their prostate. For Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the veteran actor teamed up with Depend for their Stand Strong for Men’s Health campaign as they aim to change the stigma surrounding men and their health. “In 2020, Depend introduced the Stand Strong for Men’s Health initiative with two goals: driving awareness around the link between prostate cancer and incontinence, and helping consumers take action through their purchase,” said Drew Phillips, Senior Director for the North American Depend Brand, in a press release. “We look forward to expanding those efforts this year through our partnership with actor and health advocate Boris Kodjoe and an increased donation goal of $350,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.” For Kodjoe, this initiative — which launched in September 2021 — has a deeper meaning after watching a loved one struggle with prostate cancer. “This partnership hit home on a very personal level...
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the fight against prostate cancer, has announced a new partnership with Grant Hill. In a press release announcement, it was revealed that the immunotherapy company and the seven-time NBA All-Star and sports broadcaster have teamed up to launch Start Strong, a new initiative to help individuals make decisions with health in mind. Start Strong aims to empower the prostate cancer community to learn about the racial disparities within prostate cancer incidence in the United States and encourage patients to talk to their physicians about the best treatments for them. Statistically, one in seven Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. What’s more, Black men tend to be diagnosed at a younger age and with a more severe prognosis compared to other men. And for this reason, Dendreon enlisted the aid of Grant Hill to help spread the word. “Prostate cancer is a risk for all men, but it disproportionately impacts Black men. In...
Common is ready to “ Stand Up To Cancer. ” In a new PSA put out by Bristol Myers Squibb, the rapper-turned-actor and activist is helping the pharmaceutical company spread awareness about lung cancer. The disease is on the rise amongst Black men and is the cause of nearly 25 percent of all deaths in the United States. “In 2014 my father died after his battle with cancer,” said Common in a press release. “He was truly someone who inspired me and made me want to be better. I believe that we can do better for ourselves – especially as Black men when it comes to health. I’m honored to support Stand Up To Cancer’s campaign to bring awareness to lung cancer research.” For its part, Bristol Myers Squibb gave Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) a $5 million grant to help fund research and education efforts aimed at achieving health equity for underserved lung cancer patients, including Black people and people living in rural communities. In 2020, Bristol Myers Squibb awarded Stand Up To Cancer a total...
Singer-turned-businesswoman Ciara is raising awareness for cervical cancer in Black women in a new ad campaign. CBS News is reporting that the star has teamed up with Project Health Equality and the Black Women’s Health Imperative for their “ Cerving Confidence ” campaign. You can check out Ciara’s contribution to the campaign below. “I want to encourage women to understand the importance in this case how you can serve confidence and get ahead of everything. The cool thing is you can prevent cervical cancer. How amazing is that?” Ciara said to CBS. “Go out there and make an appointment. Put yourself first, you have to. Putting yourself first is everything. Then you can take off and be your best self in every way possible.” According to the Jackson Health System, cervical cancer tends to happen most often in Hispanic women. However, approximately 2,000 Black women a year are diagnosed with the disease, and of the 2,000 diagnosed, about 40 percent will die from the disease. Black...