History Made on the Field: Hackensack Meridian Offers Prostate Cancer Screening at the HBCU Classic

The crowd came for football. They left with something more.

At this year’s HBCU New York Classic at MetLife Stadium, Hackensack Meridian, John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) team turned game day into a landmark moment for men’s health.

In partnership with national and community organizations such as Robert Smith, Man Cave Health, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Prostate Health Matters, and Quest Diagnostics, the team launched one of the largest prostate cancer screening efforts of its kind — with the capacity to screen up to 300 men in four hours.

Prostate cancer remains one of the most serious health challenges facing men, particularly men of color. Too often, barriers like access, stigma, or simply not making health a priority stand in the way of timely screening. By partnering prevention into a classic sporting event, the Hackensack team brought health care directly to the community — no hospital gown required.

"Prevention works best when it’s accessible, trusted, and visible," said Lisa Carter-Bawa, PhD, MPH, APRN, ANP-C, FAAN, Director of the Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute at the Center for Discovery & Innovation and Director of JTCC Community Outreach & Engagement. "By bringing prostate cancer screening to this event, we’ve shown what it means to truly meet men where they are — and to help close gaps in care that have persisted for far too long."

Bawa-Carter’s work also extends beyond New Jersey. She also serves as Deputy Associate Director of the Community Outreach & Engagement for Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. JTCC is a part of Georgetown Lombardi, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"This event was mor than a screening — it was a statement," said Elan Shoulders, Manager of Community Outreach and Engagement at the John Theurer Cancer Center. "By working together, we created a model for what cancer prevention can look like on a grand stage. It’s about showing men that their health matters as much as the game."

The success of the HBCU Classic screening event demonstrates that cancer prevention doesn’t need to be confined to clinics and hospitals. With the right partners, it can — and should — be woven into the fabric of community life.

Because while the scoreboard at MetLife told one story, the real win was measured in lives changed — and lives saved.