Mr. Bob Samuels, Founding Chairman of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition
When Bob Samuels was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 56 — in the prime of life — the cancer had advanced dangerously far. Samuels was shocked to discover that as an African American, he was at high risk for the disease. He was also surprised that since he had an annual physical examination every year his physician had never discussed his risk for prostate cancer. Samuels had been a banker for 31 years in New York and he became one of the first Black Vice President’s of a major bank in the nation. He has an industry award named after him and his former colleagues had a wax figure of him placed in the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore.
Today, with his cancer in remission, this retired banking executive has channeled the energy that made him so successful in his career into a new role as one of prostate cancer’s most aggressive advocates. As Founding Chairman of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, Samuels moved prostate cancer into the national spotlight. Samuels went on to lead advocacy efforts in Florida, and is founder and chairman of the Florida Prostate Cancer Network (FPCN), one of the most active state coalitions in the nation.
Prostate cancer is the No. 1 diagnosed cancer (non-skin) and the No. 3 cause of cancer deaths in Florida. Samuels works relentlessly to educate Floridians about the disease. FPCN is a model state coalition. Its programs include a speakers’ bureau; counseling referral program and peer counselor network; educational forums and health fairs; support groups; an outreach newsletter; and aggressive volunteer and fundraising efforts.
Samuels’ devotion to the cause seems boundless. He has served as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Prostate Cancer Progress Review Group, the U.S. Army’s Prostate Cancer Research Program’s Integration Panel, and the Florida Prostate Cancer Task Force.
He serves on the board of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, among many others, and is a member of the University of South Florida’s Business School’s Dean’s Circle. For prostate cancer advocates everywhere, Bob Samuels and the Florida Prostate Cancer Network are shining examples of powerful advocacy in action. Check out the National Prostate Cancer Coalition website at www.fightprostatecancer.org for more information
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