Turning Tragedy Into Triumph

R

achelle Theodore, M.P.H., M.B.A., has turned personal tragedy into a career dedicated to alleviating other people’s suffering.

In 1999, two years after Theodore moved with her family to South Florida from Haiti, her father died from injuries suffered in a car accident. Theodore’s grief over his loss was compounded by frustration with the care her father received in the hospital, which she deemed as inadequate due to his being a member of an underserved minority.

“The challenges in navigating the health care system were eye-opening, revealing disparities in medical treatment available to marginalized groups,” Theodore said. “It ignited a passion within me to dismantle those barriers.”

After earning two master’s degrees, Theodore focused on ways to fight cancer among South Florida’s underserved populations by fostering communication between them and the region’s health care systems. She gained expertise in cancer control and community advocacy, then, in 2022, she brought her skills to the Miller School’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Initially, she worked on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), and last year, she was elected its co-chair.

Theodore has organized listening sessions that identify community health challenges, bridge communication gaps and build trust. A recent session in Miami’s Little Haiti resulted in the CAC recommending a minimally invasive, self-administered screening for human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that can lead to cervical cancer. The CAC also works closely with Sylvester’s mobile Game Changer vehicles, which deliver health education and free services to local neighborhoods.

Theodore is already seeing the impact of her work with the CAC and looks forward to initiating future community-oriented projects. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work closely with key leaders at Sylvester and in the community,” she said. “Through our collaborative efforts, we promote equitable access to research opportunities, enhance community-researcher partnerships and deliver evidence-based educational and prevention-focused outreach. Our collective efforts are crucial in ensuring the diverse perspectives within our community are significantly influencing cancer research and clinical trials.

“Cancer does not discriminate, and neither should our efforts to combat it,” Theodore said. “My goal is to ensure that our cancer center is attuned to the community’s voice and equipped with the cutting-edge research necessary to address the multilevel risk factors contributing to South Florida’s cancer prevalence.”