Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where we celebrate an icon in human rights. But for Charles R. Rogers, PhD, MPH, MS, CHES/U of U School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, MLK day is a lifelong experience. This assistant professor has dedicated his life to studying African American health, largely because Dr. King once stated that "of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."
Since 2004, Dr. Rogers has been utilizing research and community engagement techniques to eliminate inequities in health. Notably, a large portion of his career has examined the phenomena of colorectal cancer (CRC) disparities among African-American men.
He has been working to eliminate health disparities here in Utah with the #CuttingCRC study, funded for nearly $900K for 5 years by the National Cancer Institute.
If Dr. King were here today, Dr. Rogers believes he would give the following advice to people of color today:
a. Greatness is a process, `but by all means, keep moving.`
b. The journey of education is lifelong. When you cease to learn, you cease to exist.
c. Lastly, he would reiterate the third step of his "6 Steps for Nonviolent Social Change:" Stay committed.
