Faculty member Quinton Cotton visited his hometown of Milwaukee, WI on Saturday, March 15, 2025, to coordinate Slam Dunk Screenings. The event is a basketball game and health fair to raise awareness about the importance of screening for colorectal and prostate cancers. “We are normalizing discussions about health, so Milwaukee residents can make informed health decisions and receive support. Equally important, we all must do our part to create a community environment with strong health policies that have the protective capacity to prevent and minimize cancer-related illness and death in Milwaukee,” said Dr. Cotton.
Now in its third year, organizers of Slam Dunk Screenings are taking the next steps to move from a single day event to designing a cancer screening and navigation program offered throughout the year. Dr. Cotton is working with a community health clinic (Health Connections Inc.) in Milwaukee and Assistant Professor of Community Health, Dr. Jamila Kwarteng, at the Medical College of Wisconsin to move this idea forward. Partners are interested in training Community Health Workers as powerful community ambassadors to promote screening and provide social support to residents. The goal of these efforts are to increase cancer screenings and support persons on their health journeys. Dr. Cotton is a Co-Investigator on a competitive proposal that recently advanced to full proposal submission through the MCW Advancing a Health Wisconsin endowment. Dr. Cotton is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work.
Read more about this innovative program on the WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee website.