2026.2 Central VA SOCRA Chapter Meeting: "Against All Odds – A Clinical Trial Journey"

This Central VA SOCRA Chapter Meeting was recorded March 18, 2026 with Mary Fowler Simmons as speaker. Following an unexpected diagnosis of an aggressive cancer, Ms. Fowler Simmons navigated the complexities of an oncology clinical trial alongside her research team. Now surviving and thriving, Mary serves as a Cancer Champion for the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, an ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s Voices of Black Women, an ambassador for Blood Cancer United, and is a first-time author chronicling her journey.

 “Saying yes to a clinical trial isn’t as easy as just signing a form.  It’s not just paperwork.  It’s a decision that pulls at every part of you, your logic, your fears, your history. It is vital that people's voices are heard and that funding research that can save lives—something I can personally confirm as a participant in a clinical trial”.

-  Mary Fowler Simmons