Show Notes
What would change if healthcare listened more deeply to Black breast cancer survivors and built systems around their experiences, expertise, and lives?
In this episode, Ricki Fairley, co-founder and CEO of Touch, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance, joins Philip McAdoo to discuss trust, science, and collective action in the fight against Black breast cancer. Drawing on her own journey as a triple-negative breast cancer survivor, Ricki explains why the science of Black breast cancer must be treated differently, how the "purple cape" of accountability shapes Black women's experience of illness, and why doctors, pharma, and health systems must change the language, the data, and the support they offer. She also shares how Touch's navigators, clinical trial matching, and community partnerships help Black women move from fear to informed, confident decision-making.
Tune in for a powerful, personal conversation about building trust, changing the science, and turning advocacy into a movement!
About Ricki Fairley:Ricki Fairley is co-founder and CEO of Touch, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance, and a triple-negative breast cancer survivor and thriver. She has turned her personal experience, strategic expertise, and sense of purpose into a national movement focused on eradicating Black breast cancer. Ricki has founded and led major initiatives including #BlackDataMatters, the When We Trial Movement, For the Love of My Girls, Touch Cares, and BlackTNBCSanctuary.org, all designed to increase awareness, support Black women and families, advance clinical trial participation, and change outcomes for Black breast cancer survivors.
IHI Spotlight: Ashley JacksonIn this episode's IHI Spotlight, Ashley Jackson discusses IHI's Cancer Collective Action Collaborative, a 14-month initiative connecting healthcare organizations, cancer centers, and community-based and advocacy groups to address disparities across the cancer care journey. She shares why moving from awareness to action requires an honest look at gaps in care, committed partnerships, and accountability, and why building trust with communities must come before any collaborative work begins.
Things You'll Learn:
Black breast cancer is biologically and clinically different, and clinical trials must reflect the burden of disease that Black women actually carry.
Trust is difficult to build and easy to lose; a genuine, sustained partnership matters more than one-time sponsorship.
Many Black women carry an invisible "purple cape" of caregiving and financial responsibility that doesn't come off during treatment, and health systems often fail to see it.
Doctors' limited time with patients and low awareness of the latest trials leave many patients without a real clinical trial conversation.
Peer navigators who have lived the experience themselves can provide education, emotional support, and practical resources around the clock.
Racial bias in care delivery is real and can directly affect the quality and speed of treatment a patient receives.
Meaningful partnership with communities requires listening first and building trust before starting collaborative work.
Resources:
Connect with and follow Ricki Fairley on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Touch, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance.
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