A few weeks ago I wrote about a need for African American moms to participate in a breastmilk study at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. We got a wonderful response, and are on our way to ensuring that this important breast cancer research represents all women.
Now I'm writing to ask that all African American women, whether breastfeeding or not, sign up for the Love/Avon Army of Women.
What's the Army of Women? It's an effort backed by Dr. Suan Love and the Avon Foundation to focus on breast cancer prevention. Great strides have been made in treatment of breast cancer, but little progress has been made in preventing women from developing breast cancer. The Army of Women connects women with researchers so that they can participate in research (if they choose) to help us understand how to prevent breast cancer.
How does it work? You register (note: please check "breast milk study" when asked how you learned about the Army of Women) and provide very basic information such as your name, email, age, city, and state of residence. You will then receive email updates from us announcing new research studies looking for volunteers with or without breast cancer, just like you. If you fit the criteria and you’d like to participate, all you need to do is “RSVP.” You will be asked to go through an online screening process to confirm you fit the criteria for the study. Throughout the process, you remain in complete control and you self select what you want to do! You will never be pressured to take part in any study. The decision to take part is yours—and yours alone.
Why are we looking for African American women? Researchers want to ensure that their findings apply to all women, and to do that they need a diverse pool of particpants for their studies. A good example is the current call for African American moms to participate in the Jewels in our Genes study, which is recruiting African American breast cancer survivors now.
What can you do? Please go to the Army of Women registration page and please select "breast milk study" when asked how you learned about the Army of Women. We thank you!
