In recognition of National Minority Health Month, OncData Editorial Board members Dr. Jasmin Hundal, Hematology/Oncology Fellow at the Cleveland Clinic, and Megan-Claire Chase, 10-year breast cancer survivor and patient advocate, came together for a candid conversation about the systemic barriers—from transportation and food access to implicit bias and communication failures—that continue to drive health disparities in minoritized communities. Drawing on personal experiences from both sides of the exam room, they confront the reality that awareness alone has never been enough, making a call for cultural competence, shared decision making, and community-level collaboration to close these gaps.

Access Is the Real Starting Line

Both Ms. Chase and Dr. Hundal agreed that better health does not begin in the exam room. "Talking about healthcare and preventative health shouldn’t start in the doctor's office,” Ms. Chase explained. “It all starts with access: food, transportation, housing, and most importantly, being heard and believed."

Dr. Hundal, drawing on her public health training, echoed that sentiment and broadened the lens. "It originates in the system—unequal access is usually the issue," she explained, highlighting environmental exposures and structural racism embedded within transportation infrastructure as under-discussed factors. "Environmental exposure is something that we don't talk much about, as well as the structural racism that unfortunately is present within the transportation grid."

When the System Breaks Trust, Patients Disappear

Ms. Chase spoke candidly about the emotional toll of being dismissed. After years of unaddressed back pain following cancer treatment, she recalled a neurologist's response to visible spinal damage on her scans: "He asked, ‘Have you tried Aleve?’ You could literally see on the scans where there was a tear in my lower lumbar, and he asked if I tried Aleve.”

Dr. Hundal shared an equally devastating case—a patient from a minority background who, after a single negative healthcare experience, stopped seeking care entirely. "That one experience made her not go to the doctor anymore, and she ended up with progressive metastatic disease requiring aggressive chemotherapy." Even one dismissive encounter can have life-or-death consequences.

Communication and Cultural Competence Are Non-Negotiable

Ms. Chase was direct about the burden patients carry: "No patient should have to do those mental gymnastics just to be seen." She described having to adjust her tone and manner in clinical settings to avoid being perceived as confrontational—a survival tactic no patient should need to employ.

Dr. Hundal pointed to a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline update on patient-clinician communication and emphasized that training alone is insufficient. "It's not just doing a session on communication or reading about it. You need to learn it, see it, and practice it." She also raised a critical observation about family dynamics in appointments: clinicians often default to speaking with the most vocal family member rather than the patient, inadvertently sidelining the person whose life is at stake.

Bridging the Gap Requires Cross-Collaboration

Both speakers converged on the need for system-level action rooted in local partnership. “It’s really a cross-collaboration between the community and clinicians,” Dr. Hundal said. “If it’s not happening at the national level, we should start at the local level and be more involved with each other.” Ms. Chase reinforced the point, urging healthcare systems to bring resources directly into communities, offering materials that reflect the people they serve and language that is accessible.

Key Takeaways

Health equity begins with access—food, transportation, housing, and culturally competent care—not just clinical treatment.
A single negative healthcare experience can cause patients to disengage entirely, with potentially fatal outcomes.
Cultural competence must be practiced continuously, not taught once and forgotten; communication skills need ongoing reinforcement.
Clinicians should center the patient in every conversation, especially when family members are present, and build rapport that removes shame.
Closing disparities demands local, cross-sector collaboration between healthcare systems and the communities they serve.

About the Speakers

Jasmin Hundal, MD, MS, MPH, is a third-year Hematology/Oncology Fellow at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Previously, she completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Hundal’s main area of interest is the overlap between cardiometabolic health and cancer, particularly for breast cancer patients and survivors. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and hiking.

Megan-Claire Chase is a patient advocate and the Breast Cancer Program Director for SHARE Cancer Support. As a 10-year survivor of stage IIA invasive lobular breast cancer, Ms. Chase became involved in patient advocacy work after completing her treatment. She is a prolific writer, blogger, and public speaker, having been featured in the New York Times, in People Magazine, and on PBS’s “Beyond Cancer” episode of “Stories from the Stage.” Her story and work are documented in her blog “Life on the Cancer Train.”

National Minority Health Month: Equity Begins With Access