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Tag: Winship Cancer Institute

  • Atlanta Falcons Legends support prostate and lung cancer screening initiative

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    On December 7, Atlanta Falcons Legends joined clinicians from Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University at the Home Depot Backyard to raise awareness for prostate and lung cancer screening.

    Attendees explored the Winship Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Bus, which has provided free PSA testing to hundreds of men across Georgia since launching in September. Positioned alongside the bus was an interactive lung-screening awareness activation highlighting the new Emory Healthcare Lung Screening and Nodule Program, designed to expand access to low-dose CT scans that can detect lung cancer at its earliest and most treatable stage.

    Falcons Legends Drew Davis, Chris Draft, Lamar Holmes, Mareno Philyaw, and Al Richardson were on-site to meet fans and support the initiative.

    Former Falcons wide receiver Chris Draft, whose wife, Keasha, died from lung cancer at age 38 and whose father is a prostate cancer survivor, spoke with fans about the life-saving importance of screening.

    “These cancers hit my family personally, and I want every man to know that screening can make all the difference,” Draft said. “If showing up today helps one person get screened, it’s worth it.”

    Why Early Detection Matters

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, largely because it often goes undetected until it has advanced. Emory’s new Lung Screening and Nodule Program offers low-dose CT scans at five metro Atlanta locations, connecting patients to Winship’s nationally recognized lung cancer experts for timely evaluation and care.

    Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, executive director of Winship Cancer Institute and a leading lung cancer specialist, emphasized the program’s impact:

    “Detecting lung cancer early can save lives, and this program reflects our commitment to reaching more individuals across Georgia. By expanding access to low-dose CT screenings, we can find lung cancer at an early stage and intervene when treatment is most effective.”

    Rachel L. Medbery, MD, thoracic surgeon and program co-leader, added:

    “Lung cancer often doesn’t show symptoms until it’s advanced. When we find it early — before it has spread — treatment is far more likely to be successful. Screening is quick, painless, and can be lifesaving for people at high risk.”

    Lung screening is recommended for adults ages 50–80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.

    About the Winship Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Clinic

    The Winship Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Clinic brings free PSA testing directly to communities statewide, helping close gaps in access to early detection. Since launching in September, the mobile clinic has screened hundreds of men and identified individuals who required further evaluation — connecting them to follow-up care before symptoms arise.

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  • Coming to a neighborhood near you: New Mobile Prostate Cancer Screenings made possible by Winship, AMBFF

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    On Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, the mobile prostate cancer screening unit, which is 38 feet long and has an exam room and lab inside, took up some space inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

    There will be more than an estimated 313,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States this year, according to data from the American Cancer Society. Of that estimation, nearly 36,000 men will die from prostate cancer.

    With 1 in every 8 American men being diagnosed with prostate cancer, getting screened for prostate cancer early can save lives. Black men have even greater chances of having their lives saved if prostate cancer screenings are more available.

    The mobile screening units would help make a difference for thousands of men who might or don’t want to make the appointments necessary to schedule screenings. The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation are taking steps to help with that with a new mobile screening clinic.

    The PSA screenings can be done inside the mobile unit and can be completed in 30 minutes. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The mobile prostate cancer screening unit took up some space inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. It was on display for a media tour that morning.

    Several physicians were scheduled to speak to the media about what was next in terms of where it was going to be in metro Atlanta. The 38-foot-long unit has an exam room and a lab inside. The screenings are free, do not require patients to have medical insurance, and take 30 minutes from start to finish. Patients get their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test results in the afternoon.

    The mobile unit will make 15-20 scheduled stops around Atlanta, including in Piedmont Park and Emory University’s campus.

    Dr. Kennard Hood is a family physician with Emory University, is the medical director for the prostate cancer screening unit. Hood, like many of the physicians and healthcare specialists that The Atlanta Voice talked to on Tuesday, believes PSA screenings and early detection will help saves lives. The mobile screening unit can make those screenings much easier.

    “If you can detect prostate cancer early, there is a better chance of finding a cure,” Hood, who also works as a family physician at an Emory University clinic in Henry County, said.

    The mobile unit has an exam room inside. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    “With this mobile screening unit, we can actually take this unit to the community,” Hood said.

    Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute Lab Technician Andre Posey II said being ahead of the game and accessible to the Black community will make a big difference.

    “We have to be proactive, not reactive,” Posey, a Chicago native, said.

    Posey’s great-grandfather died from complications brought on by prostate cancer, and he believes that not getting screening and the misconceptions of prostate screenings with the Black community led to his great-grandfather being less prepared for the fight.

    “I want the numbers to change for everybody, because it’s just a screening and not invasive,” Posey II said.

    According to research done by the National Institute of Health, Black men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer.

    “Bringing prostate cancer screening directly into neighborhoods helps break down the barriers that too often keep men from getting tested,” said Martin Sanda, MD, Louis McDonald Orr Distinguished Professor of Urology at Emory University School of Medicine and director of Winship’s Prostate Cancer Program.

    Sanda leads the team running the screening initiative and told The Atlanta Voice that making prostate cancer screenings more convenient and accessible, “We can find the disease earlier, when it’s most treatable, and ultimately save more lives.”

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