23rd Forum: Stomach Cancer Disparities: Overcoming the Barriers

Fight Stomach Cancer

September 28th, 2023 (Thursday)

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET

Barrymore Film Center - 153 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ

Stomach Cancer disproportionately affects non-White minority groups, especially Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans. A recent US- population-based analysis showed that among the age group generally considered for cancer screening (age>49), there is up to 14.5 -times higher risk of non-cardia gastric cancer in non-White racial and ethnic groups compared with non-Hispanic White people. Despite these alarming statistics and decision model analyses showing that preventive cancer screening in these high-risk groups could be critically important, there is currently no screening guideline for gastric cancer in the United States.

Stomach cancer poses a major health threat to Korean Americans, making it an urgent social issue. The upcoming forum aims to strengthen partnerships between the community and physicians, empowering stomach cancer prevention campaigns. Our ultimate objective is to facilitate stomach cancer screening and insurance coverage for high-risk groups, particularly Korean Americans.

Program

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Welcome Greetings

Alex Kim, MD | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Introduction

Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD, MPH | Allied Digestive Health

Congratulatory Remark

Hon. Representative Andy Kim / Allied Digestive Health

I. Personal Reflection

Camilla Row, PhD | Los Angeles, CA

II. Gastric Cancer:Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Stomach cancer trends and disparities among Korean Americans

Eun Jung Lee, PhD | Keck School of Medicine, USC.

Endoscopic Screening for Gastric Cancer: Modern Modalities

Mitch Spinnell, MD | Allied Digestive Health

Global Comparison of Surgical Treatment for Early and Invasive Gastric Cancer

Steven Brower, MD | Englewood Hospital Medical Center and Icahn School of

Medicine at Mount Sinai

III. Health Equity and Policy: Do we need Stomach Cancer Screening for Korean

Americans?

<Discussion with community leaders and policymakers>

Speaker Biography

Sanghyun Alexander Kim, MD

President 2023, KAMPANY 

Associate Professor of Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

Dr. Sanghyun (Alex) Kim is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Site Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Downtown-Union Square, and Mount Sinai Morningside. Specializing in robotic, laparoscopic, and trans-anal surgical techniques, Dr. Kim has been instrumental in revitalizing and growing the downtown colorectal surgery program since becoming Site Chief of Mount Sinai Downtown in 2018. As Site Chief of both MSBI and MSM, Dr. Kim is energized to further improve patient experiences by providing seamless care to both our downtown and uptown communities. 

Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD, MPH

Chairman, New York Health Forum

Chair of the Board, W Medical Strategy Group 

Chul S. Hyun received his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed his Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Georgetown University Medical Center. Subsequently, he pursued a Gastroenterology and Liver Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. He holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and an MPH from the Columbia University. He furthered his research with a postdoctoral fellowship in Physiology at the University of Chicago School of Medicine. He is Board-certified in Gastroenterology and has been a faculty in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Weill Cornell Medical College since 1996. Dr. Hyun has served as a Board Member of the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners (2017- 2018). He has also served as the president of the Korean American Medical Association (2011-2013) and is the founding President of the World Korean Medical Organization (2012-2015). He has founded several nonprofit health organizations such as the Center for Viral Hepatitis and Asian American Stomach Cancer Task Force, and published articles on ethnic health disparities in the US. He is currently the chair of the New York Health Forum (NYHF). 

Hon. Representative Andy Kim

New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District  

Congressman Andy Kim represents the Third Congressional District of New Jersey. He has dedicated his life to serving the country. He worked as a career public servant under both Democrats and Republicans, having served at USAID, the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House National Security Council, and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals Petraeus and Allen. In the House of Representatives, Congressman Kim is working on an agenda to bring this country together and strengthen its national and economic security. He supports strong measures that boost our economy by investing in small businesses and innovation, creating fairness and opportunities for working families, and honoring America’s promises to military families and veterans. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in political science and received a Rhodes Scholarship and a Harry S. Truman Scholarship to study international relations at Magdalen College, Oxford. 

Camilla Row, PhD

Clinical Psychologist, Los Angeles, CA  

Dr. Camilla Row holds a PH.D. in Clinical Psychology. She is a mental health professional with highly specialized training in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental, behavioral and emotional illnesses, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Her main focus is on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Some of the common disorders that she can treat are learning disabilities, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. First diagnosed with Stage IB gastric cancer in June 2018, she is on a mission to spread awareness and be an example of a stage 4 patient who is thriving. 

Eunjung Lee Ph.D

Associate Professor of Research Population and 

Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California 

Dr. Eunjung Lee is a cancer epidemiologist and an Associate Professor of Research Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California. Her research interests are in understanding the interplay of environmental factors and chemical pollutants interacting with molecular, genetic and epigenetic factors to influence cancer risk and cancer disparities with focus on understudied Asian American and Latinx populations. 

Mitchell K. Spinnell, MD

Gastroenterology, Northern New Jersey Center for Advanced Endoscopy 

Dr. Spinnell is board certified in gastroenterology and in internal medicine. He has special interest in advanced endoscopic procedures, including ERCP, EUS, and stenting. Dr. Spinnell received his MD from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. He did his internal medicine residency, and was chief resident, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Montefiore Medical Center, where he also received his gastroenterology training. He has participated in clinical research involving Crohn’s disease, C. difficile colitis, hepatitis, and bloodless medicine. Dr. Spinnell is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American Gastroenterological Society. He practices at the Gastroenterology Group of Northern New Jersey. 

Steven T. Brower, MD

Chief of Surgical Oncology, Englewood Hosptial 

Medical Director, Lefcourt Family Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center 

Dr. Brower is medical director of the Lefcourt Family Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center and chief of surgical oncology at Englewood Hospital. As a hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancer surgeon, he has performed hundreds of surgeries related to cancers of the liver, pancreas, stomach, and esophagus, as well as rare gastrointestinal tumors (carcinoids). He has specific interests in treating diseases affecting the Asian American population both in NYC Chinatown, Flushing and the A.A. community in Bergen County.Dr. Brower is a Founding member of Imigastric, the largest Global Surgical Trials Group Investigating Surgical Approaches to Gastric Cancer Worldwide. He served on the executive Committee of the ACOSOG Clinical Trials Group. HE is an editor of the Journal Gastric Cancer published from Sun Yat Sen University in China. . Previously, Dr. Brower was professor and vice chair of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the chief of surgical oncology and director of strategic planning and extramural affairs at the Continuum Cancer Centers of New York. He is coeditor of the first evidence-based surgical textbook and author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles on gastrointestinal and surgical oncology.