New AgriLife Extension assistant takes cancer prevention personally
Lori Reed lost her mother to breast cancer after 15-year battle
Contact(s): Lori Reed, 903-834-6191, LSReed@ag.tamu.edu
Dr. Carol Rice, 979-845-3877, Crice@ag.tamu.edu
But it's more than just a job for Lori Reed, she said. It's more like a personal vendetta.
"Breast cancer took the life of my mother at age 65, and this job gives me a chance to fight it," Reed said. "That's part of the reason I'm so excited about this position."
The other reason she's excited about her new job is that it will give her the chance to work with AgriLife Extension family and consumer sciences agents throughout East Texas, and there's a family connection there too, she said.
Her mother, Elizabeth Barfield, was an AgriLife Extension family and consumer science agent for 15 years before retiring in 2001, and Reed may find herself working with one of her mother's successors.
Many existing AgriLife Extension programs already address cancer prevention and early detection, Reed said. Programs such as Walk AcrossTexas, Towards No Tobacco, Balance Food and Play, Cultivando la Salud (Cultivating Health) and Hallelujah to Health promote overall health and thus may reduce cancer risk as well.
Reed's position is one of five statewide that are funded by a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The others are Cheryl Brewer based in Amarillo and Cory Edwards in Lubbock. Brewer’s and Edward’s positions are halftime, said Dr. Carol Rice, AgriLife Extension health specialist and director of the Cancer Prevention and Risk Reduction Education program.
“We are trying to find someone for Corpus Christi and another for San Angelo,” Rice said. “Each of these positions will be full-time like Lori’s. They will all be working closely with regional program directors in each of these areas as well as AgriLife Exension agents.”
Reed and her colleagues will provide AgriLife Extension educators, who are officed in 250 of the 254 Texas counties, with training and resources needed to extend cancer prevention, risk reduction and early detection education in their rural communities.
"Our primary areas of focus are increasing physical activity levels, improving sun safety, promoting early detection of skin, breast and cervical cancer, and reducing tobacco use," Reed said.
The regional program directors support increased programming not only by AgriLife Extension educators, but also help recruit and train volunteer educators based on the Master Wellness Volunteer program model, Rice said.
"Two-thirds of cancer is preventable," Rice said. "Finding cancer early makes treatment success more likely. We are most fortunate to have Lori Reed as part of our Extension health and wellness team to help in the fight against cancer in East Texas."
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