The Sister Study is coordinating recruitment activities with The Witness Project®, a program funded by our partner the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation that teaches medically under served African American women the importance of early detection of breast and cervical cancer. They began in 1990 in rural delta areas of Arkansas and have grown to 32 programs in 22 states. This spiritually rich group of Witness Role Models and Lay Health Advisors visit African American churches and community centers where access to breast health education and services is minimal or non-existent. African American women often develop breast cancer at an earlier age, and are more likely than women from other ethnic and racial groups to die from breast cancer, so the Witness Project® is particularly important in breast cancer prevention.

The Sister Study and Witness Project® Witness Role Models and Lay Health Advisors understand the importance of ensuring that African American women participate in breast cancer studies for future generations. We will work together to promote the Sister Study with African American women. Deborah O. Erwin, Ph.D., a medical anthropologist at the Arkansas Cancer Research Center and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is the central player in bringing these two projects together.

We are proud to shine a bright spotlight on the Witness Project®. Thanks to Dr. Erwin, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the Witness Project® for their commitment to the Sister Study .