Dr. Rena Pasick at the Women Health Care Executives 2014 Woman of the Year award presentation as UCSF colleague Dr. Mack Roach looks on.
Dr. Rena Pasick, Professor of Medicine and Assistant Director, Community Education & Outreach at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been selected by the Women Health Care Executives (WHCE) as their 2014 Woman of the Year.
Trained in public health, Dr. Pasick's expertise lies in community health and health promotion across cultures. For more than twenty-five years, she has pursued her passion to reduce cancer disparities in the diverse and underserved communities of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond through research, education, and advocacy. As a member of the center's Cancer Control and Breast Oncology research programs, her research has generated new understandings of the role of culture in efforts to reduce disparities in breast and prostate cancers.
Photos by Chloe Jackman Photography
In 2005, Dr. Pasick established a community advisory board for the center, engaging respected community leaders to build a bridge between academic research and the black community. Further merging research and community work, she established a Faith Communities partnership that fosters new health ministries in African American churches and brings them “best practice” programs and training designed to build their capacity to promote health.
Dr. Rena Pasick (top row, fourth from right) and longtime HDFCCC Community Advisory Board Co-chair Dr. Frank Staggers (bottom, far right) with the Faith Communities Committee in 2009.
Her disparities research led Dr. Pasick to obtain NIH funding to establish the Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (MTPCCR) (1998-2018) to encourage under-represented master’s level public health students and professionals to pursue doctoral training and to become leaders in public health and disparities research. To date, more than 150 master’s students of color have gone on to doctoral programs.
Dr. Rena Pasick with former student and UCSF Assistant Professor at Nynikka Palmer, DrPH.
Pamela Washington, DrPH, MPH, former manager of the MTPCCR and former student of Dr. Pasick, noted "I nominated her for this award for her work in health disparities and accomplishments as the PI of the MTPCCR. I have witnessed first-hand her extraordinary impact on communities and future public health leaders."
WHCE has provided Bay Area women a forum for networking, education and support for 33 years. With approximately 170 members, the WCHE spans multiple health-related disciplines. In addition to members' contributions to the expertise and advancement of women in all health care fields, WHCE provides a helping hand to emerging health care leaders through its annual scholarship award.