In honor of Marci Campbell
As a professor of nutrition and leader of the Lineberger Cancer Prevention and Control program, Dr. Marci Campbell is dedicated to research in partnership with communities across North Carolina. Her research aims to encourage healthy changes that make a difference: studies show that eating a proper diet, exercising, maintaining healthy weight, and getting regular screening tests can lower the risk of getting some cancers.
Dr. Campbell, who’s always been interested in the link between diet and disease, says that focusing on cancer research and prevention was a very personal decision.
“Both my grandmother and father-in-law died of colon cancer,” she says. “From the beginning, this really is why I am passionate about colon cancer prevention in particular.”
Dr. Campbell helped lead the Black Churches United for Better Health project, a successful program that encourages African Americans to eat healthier. This led to the creation of Body & Soul: A Celebration of Healthy Eating and Living, a manual and DVD-based program that the National Cancer Institute is distributing nationally for any church to use.
Dr. Campbell continues her research on prevention, and is now the director of UNC’s new LIVESTRONG/V Foundation Center of Excellence in Cancer Survivorship, “Carolina Well,” and she has helped set up four community-based outreach centers across the state to help cancer survivors and their families with support, resources, and education to enhance wellness and quality of life.