Tari A. King, MD, FACS, FSSO, FASCO, chief surgical officer for the cancer service line at Winship and Emory Healthcare, shares insights into breast cancer risk assessment and prevention at the 2026 Georgia Cancer Summit.
The 2026 Georgia Cancer Summit brought together 130 public health professionals, community advocates and cancer survivors in Columbus, Georgia, on Feb. 12, following an evening networking reception. Organized around the theme, “Partners in Improving Cancer Control: Innovation, Education and Access,” the meeting underscored a shared commitment to reducing the cancer burden across Georgia.
Now in its fifth year, the annual event is co-hosted by Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education (Georgia CORE), Georgia Department of Public Health, American Cancer Society and Georgia Cancer Control Consortium, with additional support from corporate sponsors. The summit serves as a forum for translating evidence into impact — identifying and reducing barriers to cancer screening and high-quality care; applying best practices to drive progress in prevention, control and research; and building statewide partnerships to advance Georgia’s comprehensive cancer control objectives.
“Each year, the Georgia Cancer Summit serves as a renewed call to action that helps shape cancer prevention and control efforts in the year ahead,” says Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, BSN, FAAN, associate director for cancer health equity and community engagement at Winship and chair of the summit’s planning committee. “By sharing evidence, best practices and innovation, we strengthen key partnerships that enable our collective, statewide impact.”
Experts representing institutions from across the state explored this year’s summit theme in more than a dozen presentations, panel discussions and small-group sessions. Following introductory remarks by Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FACP, FASCO, topics addressed by Winship speakers included:
- Moving the needle on breast cancer risk assessment and prevention: presented by Tari A. King, MD, FACS, FSSO, FASCO; speaker introduction by Jessica Wells, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Strategies to support cancer survivors across Georgia: facilitated by Brooke Cherven, PhD, MPH, RN, CPON; speaker introduction by Wells
- Pediatric cancers as part of the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Plan: presented by Sharon Castellino, MD, MSc; speaker introduction by Gillespie
Rana Bayakly, MPH, accepts the 2026 James A. Hotz, MD, Champion Award as Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, FAAN, and Chris Parker, MBBS, MPH, look on.
The program was anchored by two keynote speakers: Teresa Waters, PhD, dean of Augusta University School of Public Health, who presented, “Public Health Principles for Cancer Control Work Across Georgia,” and Stuart Rayfield, EdD, president of Columbus State University, who presented, “Back to Our Roots: Servant Leadership.”
The summit concluded with the presentation of the annual James A. Hotz, MD, Champion Award, honoring exceptional leadership in cancer prevention, control and health equity. Gillespie presented the award to this year’s honoree, Rana Bayakly, MPH, chief epidemiologist for the Georgia Department of Health, for her role in strengthening cancer surveillance and advancing data-driven strategies statewide.