Saurabh Kalra, M.S., M.P.H., and Amber Balda, M.P.H., presented population-based cancer research at the 2025 Sylvester Cancer Survivorship Symposium, held October 29–30 at The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove. Their projects were developed as part of the Epidemiology Methods course under the mentorship of Paulo Pinheiro, Ph.D., associate professor of Epidemiology at Sylvester.

Kalra examined stage-specific disparities in esophageal cancer survival using data from the Florida Cancer Registry.

His analysis of more than 21,000 patients identified significant differences in cause-specific mortality across racial and ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic Black patients experienced higher mortality at localized and regional stages, findings linked in part to lower treatment receipt. The study points to persistent inequities in cancer care across Florida.

Balda presented research on breast cancer survival among Latina women, analyzing outcomes across molecular subtypes in a cohort of 113,894 patients.

Her results showed a higher burden of aggressive tumor subtypes and poorer survival among Latina and Black women, underscoring the importance of addressing systemic barriers to care and integrating culturally informed survivorship strategies. The project recommends further exploration of Latino subgroups to understand variation in clinical trajectories.

"Amber and Saurabh’s work reflects the value of population-based cancer research in uncovering disparities that impact real-world outcomes. Training the next generation of cancer epidemiologists is key to improving equity in cancer prevention and care statewide," said Dr. Pinheiro.

The symposium also included poster presentations from additional Department of Public Health Sciences students whose projects addressed prostate cancer survivorship, metastatic breast cancer supportive care, Latina breast cancer experiences during COVID-19, sleep and symptom burden among cannabis users with cancer, and AI-enabled communication strategies for alcohol-related cancer risks.

Presenters included Arianna Brito, Ashley Hatch, Ashley Nicole Sanchez, Bria-Necole Diggs, and Olusanya Joshua Oluwole, reflecting the department’s broad engagement in cancer epidemiology and survivorship research.

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published on November 17, 2025.