A Saint Michael’s Medical Center employee who works to bring cancer care to uninsured residents in Newark, will be honored by the American Cancer Society at its annual Diamond Ball Gala in November.
Aretha Hill-Forte, the director of the New Jersey Cancer Education Screening, Education and Prevention-In The Pink Program at Saint Michael’s, will be among 11 honorees recognized at the November 24 gala at Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park.
“I am honored to be among those who are working to end cancer as we know it,” Hill-Forte said. “Receiving this award from the American Cancer Society is deeply humbling, and I share it with my incredible colleagues and our brave patients who inspire me every day. I’m proud to be a part of a healthcare system that embraces and provide quality access to cancer care to the marginalized populations.”
Hill-Forte, who has worked at Saint Michael’s since 2005, where she has been a community ambassador to the IMPACTNJ Clinical Trials, American Cancer Society CPS3 Study ambassador.
“It takes a lot to get people to understand the value and importance of clinical trials and for the ethnic minority communities to trust those values,” Hill-Forte said.
Hill-Forte, who holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and life sciences and a master’s degree in public health, is a is a doctoral candidate in Public Health Leadership concentration in Health Equity and Social Justice at Georgia Southern University. She is a member of the Essex- Passaic Wellness Coalition, the state Department of Health-Health Equity workgroup, the City of Newark Health Council, the New Jersey Cancer Control and Prevention Governor’s Task Force and advisor to many others.
She has previously received the Lester Lieberman Humanitarian Award, the Susan G Komen Volunteer of the Year award, AAngelsNJ-Community honors and the American Cancer Society Innovation and Intervention in Community Cancer Care award. Her purpose and passion drive her to reach beyond the length of her arm, volunteering on numerous medical missions to Africa and the Caribbean.
“We are incredibly proud of our team at Saint Michael’s Medical Center, and this award from the American Cancer Society is a testament to their unwavering dedication to our patients,” said Saint Michael’s CEO Alan Sickles, MD, “This recognition reflects the extraordinary care we strive to provide every day, and we are honored to see our commitment acknowledged in such a meaningful way.”