Dr. Charles R. Rogers

This Sunday, my heart is filled with gratitude.

I’m honored to be featured in the Summer 2026 issue of Cancer Health Magazine as part of the 7th Annual Cancer Health 25, recognizing individuals who are helping cancer patients and families navigate the financial challenges that often accompany a diagnosis.

Many people understand the physical and emotional toll of cancer. Far fewer understand the financial burden that follows. Medical bills, lost wages, transportation costs, childcare expenses, and countless other challenges can quickly overwhelm families already facing one of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Financial toxicity is real.

Families should never have to choose between paying for treatment and meeting basic needs.

That belief inspired me to establish the Colorectal Cancer Equity Foundation, and it continues to guide our work today.

This recognition is a reminder that meaningful change happens when people come together around a common purpose. Patients, survivors, caregivers, volunteers, advocates, donors, researchers, clinicians, and community leaders all play a role in creating a future where health equity is not an aspiration but a reality.

I’m especially honored to share this recognition with outstanding leaders such as Courtney Bugler of ZERO Prostate Cancer and Jody Hoyos of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, along with many others who are making a difference in communities across the country.

Thank you to Cancer Health Magazine for elevating this critical issue.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our mission.

Thank you to every patient and family who has trusted us with their stories.

Your courage continues to inspire me.

Read the digital issue here:
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/cancer-health-summer-2026

Please consider sharing this post to help raise awareness about financial toxicity and the importance of cancer equity.

💙

My wife Dr. Tiana N. Rogers and I were talking recently about how much has changed over the years.

One thought stayed with me:

We may be living through a trust recession.

People question institutions.

People question experts.

People question leaders.

People question each other.

Some skepticism is healthy.

Some distrust comes from real experiences.

The challenge is that trust remains essential for almost everything that makes communities work.

Families rely on trust.

Friendships rely on trust.

Businesses rely on trust.

Healthcare relies on trust.

Leadership relies on trust.

The older I get, the more convinced I become that trust is one of the most valuable gifts a person can earn.

Trust cannot be demanded.

Trust cannot be marketed.

Trust must be demonstrated.

One decision at a time.

One conversation at a time.

One relationship at a time.

What do you think has contributed most to the decline in trust over the past decade?

I've learned that most people think collective action fails because people don't care enough.

I don't think that's true.

More often, collective action struggles because trust breaks down.

Recently, I found myself reflecting on a conversation with Dr. Melicia Whitt-Glover and the important work happening through the Council on Black Health.

The lesson?

Successful collective action requires:

Purpose.
Roles.
Credit.

Purpose gives people something bigger than themselves to pursue.

Roles help people understand how they contribute.

Credit allows people to celebrate wins together instead of competing for recognition.

Trust grows when all three are present.

And trust may be the most important form of infrastructure any movement can build.

The future belongs to people willing to work together toward something larger than themselves.

One lesson I've learned over the years:

The best partnerships are not built because two organizations need something from one another.

The best partnerships are built because two organizations believe in something bigger than themselves.

Many partnerships struggle because conversations begin with transactions.

Strong partnerships begin with shared purpose.

Shared purpose creates trust.

Trust creates commitment.

Commitment creates impact.

Misalignment creates friction.

Clarity creates momentum.

I've been helping organizations think through this challenge recently.

One lesson continues to emerge:

Partnerships succeed when the mission becomes more important than the individual organizations involved.

What's one partnership that changed your perspective on what is possible?

Watching my son light up at the dinosaur exhibit at Stone Mountain Park recently got me thinking.

One day, he won't remember every toy he had.

He probably won't remember what title I held at work.

He won't know what was in my bank account.

What he'll remember is whether I was there.

The older I get, the more I realize that success is not simply about what we accumulate.

It's about who we become and who we spend our time becoming it with.

Life is short. God's way of encouraging a bit of focus.

Grateful for simple moments like this one. 🦖️

It feels like yesterday that I received the 2013 Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year Award from Texas A&M University.

Since then, I've learned that life is short. God's way of reminding us to focus on what truly matters.

Many people want freedom from pain, but healing requires something deeper. It requires looking inward, facing hard truths, extending grace, and allowing God to heal places we've learned to hide.

Titles fade.
Awards collect dust.
Achievements come and go.

A healed heart, a clear purpose, a strong family, and a life aligned with God's calling will always matter more.

Life is short.

Choose healing.
Choose growth.
Choose purpose.
Choose God.
🙏🏾

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has become a growing concern in Black communities. Black Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by CRC, as they are 20 percent more likely to get the disease, and about 40 percent more likely to die from it than most groups. These disparities stem from a combination of systemic inequities, barriers to care, and social determinants of health.

Additionally, there has been a significant rise in early-onset CRC among younger adults, with young onset now accounting for about 10 percent of new CRC diagnoses, underscoring the need for earlier detection and intervention.

For clinicians, improving adherence among Black patients must go beyond simply telling them to get colorectal cancer screening. It’s critical to understand how culture can influence their interactions within the healthcare system and to find new ways to reach them.

I had the opportunity to dive deeper into this conversation with Dr. Charles R. Rogers for a recent article for BlackDoctor. Read more here: https://blackdoctor.pro/cultural-awareness-colorectal-cancer-screening/