Rodney Anthony named statewide manager for Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana

In an attempt to improve the results for cancer patients, the Louisiana Department of Health has added an Alcorn State University alumnus to be one of the leaders of their mission.

Rodney Anthony, a Woodville, Mississippi native who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Alcorn in 2012, is the Department’s statewide manager for Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana (TACL). TACL is an initiative that brings together leaders across sectors in healthcare, business, government, community, advocacy, philanthropy, and other sectors to work toward the common goal of improving cancer outcomes in Louisiana.

In his new role, Anthony provides oversight of programming and coordination of activities involved in the work of TACL, with a focus on interventions for breast and colorectal cancers.

Being active in the fight against cancer is a personal mission for Anthony. Over the years, he’s seen the disease take the lives of some of those close to him. Therefore, he’s happy to work with the state of Louisiana to combat the illness.

“It feels great to be a part of a dynamic team address of such an important topic in Louisiana,” said Anthony. “I’ve lost several close family members to cancer, so this topic is near and dear to my heart. We have an important task at hand, and we are addressing it by placing strategic efforts with partners across the state to increase access to care, improve quality of care, and reduce costs to increase survivorship.”

Proper management of his division is Anthony’s top priority. He hopes to add to the success of TACL.

“One of my main goals is to successfully manage the work of the clinical, data, and community engagement committees who are working to reduce mortality rates of breast and colorectal cancers. I also plan to reduce racial and geographical disparities across the state.”

Achieving a career in healthcare has always been a goal for Anthony. He’s had a desire to help people live a healthy lifestyle since his youth.

“Since a young child, I’ve always wanted to be in the healthcare industry. At first, I wanted to be on the clinical side of things, but once I discovered public health, it has been my passion. I can help affect health disparities through strategic and organized community efforts.”

In the future, Anthony hopes to become the secretary of the Department of Health.