WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 18, 2018) – Howard University Cancer Center’s Dr. Lori Wilson is serving as a spokesperson and ambassador for the Know Your Girls Campaign in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Dr. Wilson is associate professor of surgery and chief of surgical oncology at Howard University Hospital. After achieving her dream and helping hundreds of cancer patients as a surgical oncologist, Dr. Wilson discovered her own breast cancer in 2013. Black women in the U.S. are diagnosed younger, at later stages, and with more aggressive forms of the disease. Black woman are also more than 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

To address the disparity in breast cancer mortality rates, Susan G. Komen^®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, and the Ad Council, the nation’s foremost producer of public service communications, launched Know Your Girls, a national campaign to educate and inspire Black women to understand their risk for breast cancer and take charge of their breast health.

Dr. Wilson has been profiled in Essence magazine and The New York Times. She has often been called upon to share her cancer experience as a survivor and health care provider to all those groups. In 2015, Dr. Wilson was featured in the documentary, Ken Burns Presents Cancer: The Emperor of Maladies on PBS.

“Even though we think about breast cancer victims as post-menopausal women, Black women in their 40’s and 30’s are at risk,” Dr. Wilson says. “Any time something feels off, get it checked out. Early detection has helped save my life.”

About Howard University Hospital

Over the course of its roughly 155-year history of providing the finest primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services, Howard University Hospital (HUH) remains one of the most comprehensive healthcare facilities in the Washington metropolitan area. It is designated a DC Level 1 Trauma Center. The hospital is the nation's only teaching hospital located on the campus of a historically Black university.

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.