Spit for the Cure was a breast cancer research study led by Susan Kadlubar, Ph.D. The research was conducted at the College of Medicine, Department of Medical Genetics and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS. Spit for the Cure began as an idea initiated by Susan Kadlubar, Ph.D., and Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., from UAMS. While driving back from a conference during the summer of 2007, these investigators began brainstorming new ways to address breast cancer research in Arkansas. What they came up with was a unique way to invite women of Arkansas to personally contribute to the fight against breast cancer.
In 2007, investigators launched recruiting efforts with events associated with the Arkansas Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure ®. Women from all over the state of Arkansas took this unique opportunity to be involved and became pioneers in breast cancer research. Recruitment efforts resulted in the establishment of a large population-based cohort of women.
Moving forward, the Spit for the Cure cohort will be known as the Arkansas Rural Community Health (ARCH) cohort. The cohort includes approximately 26,000 Arkansan women aged 18 through 95 from all 75 counties in the state.
What began as a breast cancer research study is now transitioning toward research of health in communities across the state. By and large, the entire state of Arkansas can be considered rural. Therefore, our research is largely focused on rural populations and the unique challenges these communities face to maintain good health. For more detailed information about our projects, please visit the publications page.