Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MPH, professor of Social Sciences and Health Policy and Senior Associate Dean, Community Engagement and Research Access, has started her term as president of the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC).
A medical sociologist by training, Dr. Barrett is a nationally-recognized expert in expanding access to high-quality research and care. She is a seasoned strategist whose work strengthens partnerships between communities, stakeholders and academic institutions to improve health outcomes. Her research focuses on addressing the factors that limit participation in clinical and translational research and on developing practical training and system-level approaches that help teams recognize and mitigate unintended barriers — ensuring more people have meaningful opportunities to engage in and benefit from trusted, high-quality care.
Prior to her time at the School of Medicine, Dr. Barrett served as a co-director at Duke University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute and founding director of the Duke Center for Equity in Research, where she helped strengthen trust and collaboration between Duke Health, research teams and the communities they serve.
Her leadership across nonprofit and academic settings included local, national and international partnerships focused on improving how health systems listen to, serve and meaningfully involve people whose experiences have too often been overlooked.
The ACCC is a powerful community of more than 34,000 multidisciplinary practitioners and 1,700 cancer programs and practices nationwide. Founded in 1974, ACCC brings together healthcare professionals across all disciplines in oncology to promote quality cancer care. It is estimated that 65 percent of the nation's cancer patients are treated by a member of ACCC.