This annual lecture is supported by a generous gift from the family of the late Renée Royak-Schaler, PhD, MEd. Devoted to cancer prevention among African Americans and to the elimination of disparities across the continuum of cancer care, Dr. Royak-Schaler also directed the University of Maryland School of Medicine MPH Program until her sudden death in 2011.

The aim of her family’s gift is to bring the best scholars and policy makers in the country to the university to present their work on pressing issues in health disparities, and to bring much-needed visibility to this important topic.