A new grant will allow Wake Forest Baptist Health to expand access to clinical trials for cancer patients in underserved areas. 

Health officials say that despite advances in cancer treatment, disparities in outcomes remain prevalent, especially for minority and rural populations.

That could change thanks to a $775,000 grant being given to Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. The funding comes from the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, and is aimed at helping researchers reduce those disparities.

The money will allow the hospital to open an initial 17 clinical trials covering a spectrum of cancer types, including lung, breast, and leukemia.

Dr. Alexandra Thomas is a professor of hematology and oncology at Wake Forest Baptist. She says that as one of only three Comprehensive Cancer Centers in North Carolina, Wake is “uniquely positioned to reach underserved areas” in the Piedmont.

According to a news release, Wake Forest Baptist is one of only eight NCI-designated cancer centers in the U.S. to receive the award.