Better Together: Health Equity Work Across the Prostate Cancer Community

Adrian Backus has more than thirty years of experience as an executive in educational and religious institutions, international assistance programs, and industry. He currently serves as director for partnership development and outreach for the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN).

Charles J. Ryan, MD, is an internationally recognized genitourinary (GU) oncologist with expertise in the biology and treatment of and supportive care of all men with prostate cancer, seeing patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Ryan earned a BA in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from Marquette University and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. He trained at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

As faculty at the University of California-San Francisco, he was named the Thomas Perkins Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research. He has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Ryan has published over 200 articles and chapters in the world’s leading medical journals and is the author of the book The Virility Paradox: The Vast Influence of Testosterone on Our Bodies, Minds, and the World We Live In. Dr. Ryan is a past Chair of the National Cancer Institute’s GU Steering Committee’s Prostate Cancer Task Force.

From 2018 to 2021 he served as Director of the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota, where he was the BJ Kennedy Chair in Clinical Oncology. From 2021 to 2024 Ryan served as the CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He serves on the Scientific Oversight Committee of the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium and is a member of the Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference.

William L. Dahut, MD, is chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society. In this role, he oversees the strategic direction of both intramural and extramural research for the largest nonprofit funder of cancer research.

Dr. Dahut manages all pieces of ACS’ Discovery Pillar, including surveillance and health equity science, population science, cancer screening guidelines, and extramural discovery science. He serves as the scientific voice of the organization, advises key discovery positions, and manages more than $400 million in research funding.

Dr. Dahut guides efforts to enhance and focus the American Cancer Society’s research program, concentrating priorities where they will be most effective and working with key partners and supporters to further progress.

Shonta Chambers is a seasoned non-profit executive and public health professional whose career spans more than 25 years of experience in chronic disease prevention, health promotion, community engagement, and women’s health.