1 00:00:00,350 --> 00:00:02,480 It's an exciting time to be in oncology. 2 00:00:03,060 --> 00:00:07,000 The speed and quantity of new developments are promising for your practice, 3 00:00:07,300 --> 00:00:10,120 but it's not always easy for your team to keep pace. 4 00:00:10,630 --> 00:00:14,920 Support your cancer care team with clinical path evidence-based pathways 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,280 embedded in the clinical workflow. With clinical path, 6 00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:21,560 you can narrow the band of variability with personalized, 7 00:00:21,980 --> 00:00:26,280 multidisciplinary support for care, decisions and treatment. To learn more, 8 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,480 please visit elvir.com/clinical path. 9 00:00:29,820 --> 00:00:32,760 That's E L S E V I E 10 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,200 r.com/clinical path. 11 00:00:37,310 --> 00:00:39,840 This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 12 00:00:40,460 --> 00:00:43,400 I'm thrilled today to be joined by a Angela Talton System, 13 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,040 senior Vice President and Chief Diversity, 14 00:00:45,060 --> 00:00:47,760 equity and Inclusion officer at City of Hope. Angela, 15 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:49,400 it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 16 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,070 Laura, thank you so much for this invitation. 17 00:00:54,510 --> 00:00:56,130 Now, I know we have a lot to talk about. 18 00:00:56,130 --> 00:01:00,490 Right now is a really exciting time in healthcare and a lot is being done around 19 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,490 diversity, inclusion and, and really health equity too. 20 00:01:03,550 --> 00:01:05,250 But before we dive into my questions, 21 00:01:05,630 --> 00:01:07,930 can you tell me a little bit more about yourself and your background? 22 00:01:10,150 --> 00:01:10,920 Absolutely. 23 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,900 And thank you so much for this opportunity to just share a little bit about City 24 00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:17,180 of Hope's commitment to D e I. Um, 25 00:01:17,570 --> 00:01:21,740 I've been with City of Hope for a little bit over two years now, and, 26 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:23,300 and I joined, um, 27 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:28,500 taking on this role to develop and implement a holistic and 28 00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:33,300 integrated vision and strategy for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,660 Um, I also focus in on measurable accountability throughout the 30 00:01:38,660 --> 00:01:43,260 organization. So my team and I, we collaborate with the administrative, 31 00:01:43,980 --> 00:01:48,900 clinical and research teams and we're ensuring d e i is integral to our 32 00:01:48,950 --> 00:01:53,780 operations, um, throughout every aspect, be it our recruitment, 33 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,020 our leadership development, health equity, community benefit, 34 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,900 you name it. Um, I've been in d e I for a little bit over 10 years, 35 00:02:03,490 --> 00:02:07,260 most recently serving as the Chief Diversity officer at Nielsen, 36 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,780 the market research company. But, um, 37 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:14,420 my path to this work has not followed the traditional path. Um, 38 00:02:14,740 --> 00:02:18,580 I, I didn't start in hr. My background is actually operations. 39 00:02:19,170 --> 00:02:24,020 I've led very large 2000 plus employee call centers. And, 40 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,700 you know, that's an amazing opportunity to learn about people, 41 00:02:28,010 --> 00:02:32,100 what motivates them, how to engage them. But I'll tell you, 42 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,060 my day-to-day focus was also on strategy. 43 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:40,060 It was on metrics and providing measurable, impactful outcomes. 44 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:45,140 So I always worked to connect the dots of the department's strategic 45 00:02:45,350 --> 00:02:49,140 focus to that overarching strategy of the organization. 46 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,580 And with City of Hope, you know, that's about curing cancer, 47 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,660 but not for a small subset of the population for, for all patients. 48 00:02:59,100 --> 00:03:02,620 Absolutely. I really appreciate you talking about that because I know, you know, 49 00:03:02,620 --> 00:03:02,820 it, 50 00:03:02,820 --> 00:03:06,780 it is such an important space to be in and really making sure that you're able 51 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,540 to hit patients and, and meet them where they're at and, 52 00:03:10,540 --> 00:03:13,740 and anybody in the community that needs treatment and services, 53 00:03:13,740 --> 00:03:17,860 being able to provide that for them. So, you know, what's it like to, uh, 54 00:03:17,860 --> 00:03:20,380 kind of work through, um, you know, 55 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,420 so many different situations to touch so many different types of people, 56 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,020 and how do you make sure you're constantly, uh, 57 00:03:27,130 --> 00:03:30,260 filling in the blind spots or, or areas that you know, 58 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,500 you may not have realized in the past, um, you know, 59 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:35,100 really needed additional support. 60 00:03:36,590 --> 00:03:40,260 Thank you for that. Um, you know, at, at City of Hope, 61 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:45,260 we know that cancer is not one disease, but hundreds, 62 00:03:45,790 --> 00:03:50,740 every tumor can be different and affect different populations in unique 63 00:03:50,810 --> 00:03:54,900 ways. And that's why genomic research, that ability to, um, 64 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,660 detect the unique thumbprint, right? 65 00:03:57,660 --> 00:04:01,620 That unique signature and precision medicine, 66 00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:04,380 identifying the best treatment options. 67 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,340 That's why that's so important at City of Hope. 68 00:04:07,410 --> 00:04:11,780 It's actually the cornerstone of what we call our bench to bedside 69 00:04:12,260 --> 00:04:13,780 approach to cancer treatment. 70 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,860 So connecting that patient d n a to innovations with 71 00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:23,940 medicine is the sheer definition of focusing on diversity. 72 00:04:24,930 --> 00:04:27,940 It's understanding and embracing differences, right? 73 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,620 And then we add that to our focus on ensuring our clinical trials 74 00:04:32,970 --> 00:04:36,820 reflect the diversity of the US population and, 75 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,900 and people who are disproportionately affected by certain types of 76 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:47,060 tumors. That's connecting the dots to equity and inclusion. 77 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,020 So with our D e I strategic focus, 78 00:04:50,550 --> 00:04:54,100 connecting that to City of Hope's overarching strategy, 79 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:59,100 we can meet our employees where they are on the d e I learning journey and build 80 00:04:59,100 --> 00:05:04,060 awareness while solidifying and understanding of city of hope's vision, 81 00:05:04,060 --> 00:05:05,140 mission, and values. 82 00:05:06,580 --> 00:05:08,480 Got it. I, I think that's so important and, 83 00:05:08,500 --> 00:05:11,400 and definitely something that really makes a difference. Um, 84 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:15,040 and I know a lot of organizations are trying to work through and understand how 85 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,840 they can do something as meaningful on a large scale, um, as well. 86 00:05:19,460 --> 00:05:20,840 So I, I'm wondering too, 87 00:05:20,860 --> 00:05:23,880 if you could tell us about maybe one of the most exciting and impactful 88 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,640 initiatives or projects that you're working on right now. Uh, 89 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,440 what really stands out to you as being something that, um, 90 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:34,520 is unique to City of Hope in, in really, uh, a proud spot for you? 91 00:05:35,570 --> 00:05:36,420 Well, right now, 92 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:41,340 our focus is to deliver a one City of Hope experience. 93 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:46,020 So, as you probably recall, in February of 2022, 94 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,420 we completed the acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 95 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,740 and that's really transforming City of Hope into one of the largest national 96 00:05:55,760 --> 00:06:00,320 cancer care organizations. You know, this combined organization, we, 97 00:06:00,340 --> 00:06:04,520 we serve about 115,000 patients with 98 00:06:04,580 --> 00:06:08,800 11,000 employees in California now are Arizona, 99 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,520 Illinois, and Georgia. And, um, 100 00:06:12,060 --> 00:06:16,800 so what I'm working on is sharing that d e I strategy, tailoring it of course, 101 00:06:16,940 --> 00:06:21,840 to the local nuances of our new locations, and, um, 102 00:06:21,940 --> 00:06:26,880 making sure that we are delivering and implementing 103 00:06:26,990 --> 00:06:29,360 that strategy. Our, um, 104 00:06:29,660 --> 00:06:33,960 our mission is to infuse d e I into the DNA 105 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:38,360 of City of Hope. So with this larger footprint, 106 00:06:38,490 --> 00:06:42,880 we're really working on relating d e I to those 107 00:06:43,450 --> 00:06:48,280 local programs, initiatives, partnerships, 108 00:06:48,620 --> 00:06:53,400 so that we are inclusive of our staff, the patients, 109 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:58,080 their families and caregivers, of course, faculty, students, residents, 110 00:06:58,620 --> 00:07:01,120 as well as the community at large, and, 111 00:07:01,140 --> 00:07:04,960 and really building a strategy that is, uh, 112 00:07:05,070 --> 00:07:06,160 that is sustainable. 113 00:07:07,510 --> 00:07:10,740 Absolutely. I, I love that. And I think it's so important to, like, 114 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:14,180 as you mentioned, just have that, um, front of mind and, 115 00:07:14,180 --> 00:07:17,780 and building that right type of strategy that is, is going to, um, 116 00:07:18,210 --> 00:07:21,780 make a difference. Now, I, I know there's a lot of challenges out there, 117 00:07:21,780 --> 00:07:22,940 whether it's, um, 118 00:07:22,940 --> 00:07:26,100 just in general economic challenges in the healthcare space too. 119 00:07:26,650 --> 00:07:29,540 What do you see as some of the biggest issues that you're following right now in 120 00:07:29,540 --> 00:07:31,620 healthcare, um, whether they're, you know, 121 00:07:31,670 --> 00:07:35,140 roadblocks or drivers of change in any way, shape or form? 122 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,580 I'd just love to hear about some of the things that you really have your eye on 123 00:07:38,580 --> 00:07:39,413 today. 124 00:07:40,460 --> 00:07:43,600 So, um, I'd say it's probably this, uh, 125 00:07:43,910 --> 00:07:48,840 this gap in the US between this current era 126 00:07:49,220 --> 00:07:53,960 of cancer innovation and the people who need and can 127 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,880 actually access those breakthroughs. 128 00:07:57,340 --> 00:08:01,880 It seems like our industry just needs to close that gap by 129 00:08:02,030 --> 00:08:04,880 advancing equity for all patients, 130 00:08:05,100 --> 00:08:09,880 not just those who are seeking care at our own centers or 131 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:14,120 with our own medicine. And City of Hope leads a coalition, 132 00:08:14,150 --> 00:08:16,120 it's called Cancer Care is Different, 133 00:08:16,580 --> 00:08:20,880 and this group is advocating for systemic change 134 00:08:21,580 --> 00:08:26,560 to increase underserved populations access to specialized cancer 135 00:08:26,910 --> 00:08:28,720 care. Laura, um, 136 00:08:28,900 --> 00:08:33,720 the coalition actually championed the California Cancer Care 137 00:08:33,780 --> 00:08:37,120 Equity Act, which was passed into law last year. 138 00:08:37,740 --> 00:08:41,640 And its goal is to ensure that all Californians, uh, 139 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,200 including those on Medi-Cal, 140 00:08:43,630 --> 00:08:48,520 have the right to request treatment at an NCI designated cancer center 141 00:08:48,570 --> 00:08:53,080 where they can enroll in clinical trials and receive some of this, uh, 142 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,920 leading edge treatment. And, and, you know, just to share a few stats, you know, 143 00:08:58,110 --> 00:09:02,840 despite having the highest rates of Medi-Cal enrollment, um, 144 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,880 with African Americans at 44.3%, 145 00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:08,880 and Hispanics at 44.9%, 146 00:09:09,420 --> 00:09:14,360 30 of the 30% of them say that the quality of care 147 00:09:14,540 --> 00:09:19,120 that's accessible to them in their area is a barrier to 148 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:21,680 seeking treatment. And you, you know, 149 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:24,320 patients insured by Medi-Cal, 150 00:09:25,580 --> 00:09:30,200 the ones that are diagnosed with breast, colon, lung, and rectal cancers, 151 00:09:30,470 --> 00:09:35,200 they're more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage 152 00:09:35,300 --> 00:09:40,040 of the disease and have less favorable five year survival rates. 153 00:09:40,220 --> 00:09:45,200 So, you know, this level of advocacy is really important at City of Hope. 154 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,070 Absolutely. That's such a great point, 155 00:09:48,090 --> 00:09:50,750 and thank you so much for sharing the data to back up. Uh, 156 00:09:51,410 --> 00:09:55,670 it is just fascinating and, um, I'm glad that you mentioned research and, uh, 157 00:09:55,670 --> 00:09:59,990 innovation too, because I know that it is really an important place where, um, 158 00:10:00,390 --> 00:10:02,710 a lot of these efforts towards, you know, 159 00:10:02,710 --> 00:10:06,390 bridging the gap in health equity and health disparities, um, really make, 160 00:10:06,580 --> 00:10:09,150 make a lot of work and make a lot of headway. Um, 161 00:10:09,250 --> 00:10:11,150 before we wrap up our conversation, 162 00:10:11,630 --> 00:10:15,190 I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the most I important thing 163 00:10:15,190 --> 00:10:18,110 that healthcare executives can do now to make sure that they're setting 164 00:10:18,110 --> 00:10:19,790 themselves up for success in the future, 165 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:23,470 especially with that health equity and diversity equity inclusion lens. 166 00:10:23,630 --> 00:10:28,590 I think that's something that so many organizations are really trying to focus 167 00:10:28,730 --> 00:10:32,950 on in the next year, and I would love from your perspective, some of the, um, 168 00:10:33,010 --> 00:10:33,310 you know, 169 00:10:33,310 --> 00:10:36,710 really important key things that leaders should do with an eye on the future. 170 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,870 Thank you, Laura. Um, I am gonna have to give you three things though, 171 00:10:41,930 --> 00:10:46,470 but I will prioritize them. Um, thing one is, uh, leading by example. 172 00:10:46,650 --> 00:10:51,390 And you know, what I'd say is my ceo, Robert Stone, 173 00:10:51,770 --> 00:10:56,670 he demonstrates this quality so incredibly well. Um, 174 00:10:57,330 --> 00:11:00,790 you know, he speaks to the importance of diversity 175 00:11:02,750 --> 00:11:04,490 in terms of our staff as well. 176 00:11:04,580 --> 00:11:08,770 40% of patients are more likely to 177 00:11:09,270 --> 00:11:13,890 follow the treatment of a clinical team that 178 00:11:13,940 --> 00:11:16,530 represents their diverse community. So, 179 00:11:16,670 --> 00:11:19,090 so representation also is important, 180 00:11:19,190 --> 00:11:23,890 and hiring from a diverse slate of candidates is something that we really 181 00:11:23,990 --> 00:11:28,610 try to focus on. And I'm pleased that recently at our senior most ranks, 182 00:11:28,610 --> 00:11:32,010 we've hired Phil o' as our system president, 183 00:11:32,430 --> 00:11:36,130 Joanne Za Hague is our chief business officer, and Dr. 184 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:41,130 John Carton as our new director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, 185 00:11:41,190 --> 00:11:44,850 and our chief Scientific officer, priority two, 186 00:11:44,930 --> 00:11:49,410 I think should be sustainability, really building initiatives to last, 187 00:11:49,910 --> 00:11:52,130 not just for a headline, and, you know, 188 00:11:52,130 --> 00:11:56,680 really focusing in on that health equity piece as, as you mentioned. So, 189 00:11:56,980 --> 00:12:00,440 you know, I I think it's not just about, you know, 190 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,680 that old adage about giving you food or teaching you to fish. 191 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:09,200 I think it's important, like supporting HBCUs and msi, 192 00:12:09,790 --> 00:12:13,280 it's important to fo to support them financially. Yes. 193 00:12:14,020 --> 00:12:18,920 But also with scholarships and fellowships and internships that are going 194 00:12:18,980 --> 00:12:22,040 to lead to employment. I think that's important. 195 00:12:22,580 --> 00:12:27,560 And then three is infusing d ei into every part of the day-to-day operations. 196 00:12:27,780 --> 00:12:32,280 So it can't just be a focus during a crisis or civil 197 00:12:32,580 --> 00:12:33,880 unrest. It's, 198 00:12:33,950 --> 00:12:38,720 it's imperative that d e I strategies are holistic and, 199 00:12:38,980 --> 00:12:43,880 um, that there's this conscious focus on inclusion from hiring to 200 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:45,960 clinical trial participation. 201 00:12:46,020 --> 00:12:49,680 It is important to respect and reflect differences. 202 00:12:50,540 --> 00:12:53,720 That's so critical and definitely something that I know, you know, 203 00:12:54,060 --> 00:12:57,200 is important to bake into your culture, as you mentioned. And, you know, 204 00:12:57,200 --> 00:12:58,440 when you think about, um, 205 00:12:58,820 --> 00:13:03,200 making sure that people are thinking through how, um, 206 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:05,080 important it is to keep diversity, equity, 207 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,760 and inclusion in mind in every action that they're taking, 208 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:11,240 in policy that they're making, you know, where do you start with that? 209 00:13:11,460 --> 00:13:15,120 How do you really begin an organization that maybe has never even had a D E I 210 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,960 policy in the past, or let alone a department? Where do you begin to, 211 00:13:18,980 --> 00:13:23,560 to try to infuse that within the whole, uh, team and everybody, um, 212 00:13:23,620 --> 00:13:25,440 in the decisions they're making on a daily basis? 213 00:13:27,020 --> 00:13:32,010 Thank you. I, I'll tell you, part of our implementation roadmap, 214 00:13:32,870 --> 00:13:33,550 um, 215 00:13:33,550 --> 00:13:38,050 it includes a focus on building awareness. 216 00:13:38,470 --> 00:13:43,370 And we do that with interactive scenario based training that we actually 217 00:13:43,370 --> 00:13:47,450 have co-created with our vendor, the Kaleidoscope Group. 218 00:13:48,030 --> 00:13:52,810 And this training is designed to not only expand knowledge 219 00:13:53,140 --> 00:13:57,410 about things like conscious inclusion and other d e I tenants, 220 00:13:57,550 --> 00:14:02,370 but it's to demonstrate what actions and behaviors are 221 00:14:02,370 --> 00:14:06,770 needed to create a more consciously inclusive city of hope. 222 00:14:06,910 --> 00:14:07,930 And so, you know, 223 00:14:08,030 --> 00:14:12,290 as we practice these consciously inclusive actions and behaviors, 224 00:14:12,290 --> 00:14:15,290 what we're seeing is a cultural transformation, 225 00:14:16,390 --> 00:14:18,570 and it's an impact that can be measured. 226 00:14:18,570 --> 00:14:22,890 Right now we're measuring it one way as with our employee engagement survey, 227 00:14:23,230 --> 00:14:27,890 and we're seeing year over year improvement across the entire system. 228 00:14:28,470 --> 00:14:28,750 Um, 229 00:14:28,750 --> 00:14:33,690 and especially with questions related to relationship with my manager or with my 230 00:14:33,970 --> 00:14:38,890 coworkers or that patient experience. And, um, also from a patient perspective, 231 00:14:39,150 --> 00:14:43,850 one of the things that we focus in on is increasing the diversity of our 232 00:14:44,130 --> 00:14:44,963 clinical trials. 233 00:14:45,550 --> 00:14:50,410 And we make this a point to ensure that we talk about 234 00:14:50,410 --> 00:14:52,680 it throughout the organization, 235 00:14:52,910 --> 00:14:57,840 that we want our trials to be representative of the US 236 00:14:58,130 --> 00:15:02,360 population. And, you know, just last year, our demographics, 237 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:07,200 particularly for the Hispanic Latinx populations, um, 238 00:15:08,100 --> 00:15:12,280 not only on par but exceeds the national average at 239 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:17,120 27.8%, and with black African Americans, it's, uh, it's, 240 00:15:17,180 --> 00:15:19,920 uh, 6%. So, you know, the, 241 00:15:19,930 --> 00:15:24,520 these are areas that are critically important to us to demonstrate 242 00:15:24,780 --> 00:15:29,640 and to communicate about with our staff and to make sure 243 00:15:29,670 --> 00:15:33,520 that that commitment to d e I is something that we, uh, that we, 244 00:15:33,590 --> 00:15:35,240 that we celebrate at City of Hope. 245 00:15:35,950 --> 00:15:37,500 Absolutely. I love that. Angela, 246 00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:39,500 thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. 247 00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:41,620 This has been a really fun and informative discussion, 248 00:15:41,620 --> 00:15:43,420 and I look forward to connecting with you again soon. 249 00:15:44,870 --> 00:15:47,940 Thank you, Laura. I really appreciate this opportunity.