Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Vice President for Community Health
Understanding Social Determinants of Health and Impact on the Prostate Cancer Racial Disparity Watch Video
Ms. Contreras joined Dana-Farber in 2007 and currently oversees the Community Health and Community Benefits programs. In this role, she is charged with helping the Institute carry out its Community Benefits mission through the delivery of evidence-based cancer prevention, screening and early detection programs and working across the cancer continuum to help improve cancer care outcomes for medically underserved populations.
The role of Dana-Farber’s Community Benefits office is to support the Institute’s goal to reduce cancer risk among medically underserved populations. Ms. Contreras and her teamwork with city and state health departments, community partners, and Boston-based coalitions to assess and monitor the needs of local residents with respect to cancer control. They are on the front lines of supporting and collaborating on programs designed to eliminate disparities in breast, colon, and skin cancer; educate diverse populations about tobacco cessation, human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention and screening; and strengthen the support system for medically underserved populations. They are committed to making Dana-Farber’s care and research findings more accessible to everyone within and outside its walls.
Ms. Contreras is a graduate of Boston College, Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work and Suffolk University Sawyer Business School. She has been an Adjunct Faculty member in the Graduate School of Social Work at Salem State University, Simmons College and Boston College.