Chapel Hill, NC - UNC Lineberger surgical oncologist Keith Amos recognizes that fighting cancer extends beyond the operating room and into local churches, health fairs and non-profit support groups. Although Dr. Amos joined UNC Lineberger as a faculty member only a year ago, he has traveled across the state raising awareness for the importance of cancer screenings and clinical trials. His stops included Chapel Hill, Rocky Mount, Lumberton and Durham.

"It's important for physicians and health care providers to work with the community to educate them about health issues and work with them to solve health care problems that affect those communities," said Dr. Amos.

When Dr. Amos began working at UNC, he toured the state on the Tar Heel Bus Tour, a program that gives new university faculty the opportunity to learn about the state. Dr. Amos said, “I learned about the many projects where UNC has engaged the community to address specific challenges facing North Carolina citizens.  This field trip with other UNC faculty members has inspired me to focus on research and projects to solve problems for North Carolina.”

While touring Rocky Mount, he visited a non-profit organization aimed at preventing breast cancer in Edgecombe County, which has the 16th highest breast cancer mortality rate in the nation. He told the organization, “I’ll be back to help you with this problem.”

Dr. Amos returned to Rocky Mount to work with the non-profit in promoting cancer screenings and awareness. “They want to be a part of the solution. I think outreach is important because we have to provide all folks with information about cancer screening modalities and treatment guidelines. Many people just want to know what things they can do to reduce their risk for cancer or to catch a cancer earlier,” he said.

Odetta Porter, president of We Care, a cancer awareness non-profit based in Rocky Mount, N.C., said, "His support in helping us has just been wonderful.  Dr. Amos is not just a doctor, but also a caring friend to his patients." Porter said that Dr. Amos served as the keynote speaker for a health fair event in October 2008 and addressed the importance of annual mammographic screenings and maintaining a good physician-patient relationship.

Dr. Amos also spoke at a state sorority meeting in Lumberton, N.C. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is an African-American service sorority, to which North Carolina General Assembly Senator Jeanne Hopkins Lucas belonged. A UNC study, named the Carolina Breast Cancer Jeanne Hopkins Lucas Study, that investigates breast cancer in black women recently has been created in her honor.

The sorority invited Dr. Amos to speak about the importance of breast cancer screenings and participation in clinical trials. Dr. Amos said he jumped at the opportunity to reach more than 600 women to address the topic of breast cancer.

In addition, Dr. Amos has made visits to Durham, N.C. churches for health fairs. He works with the Sisters Network, an organization that promotes breast cancer awareness in the Triangle. Valarie Worthy, president of the Triangle Chapter of the Sisters Network, said, "He's just done so much in the community, not only for us, but everybody that you talk to about him. They've just been ecstatic about what he's done to increase awareness, especially in the African American community."

A native of Minden, La., Dr. Amos has a long history of community outreach. During his college years, USA Today selected him as part of the All USA College Academic Team for his work advocating science education in New Orleans public schools. At UNC, Dr. Amos is a member of the UNC Breast Cancer and Melanoma teams.

Dr. Amos said that one of the things that drew him to UNC Hospitals was a plaque located in the lobby of N.C. Memorial Hospital that reads, "Operated for and by the People of North Carolina." "I think that's a really powerful statement. I think one of the things that attracted me here is that UNC is a state institution," he said. "We as physicians have an obligation to care for and educate citizens about their health problems."