Advocacy & Research
Toral is a nutrition and integrative oncology consultant for a variety of research projects and has contributed to grant proposals and research papers. She ensures that research trials are inclusive of marginalised groups and supports research groups to be more inclusive in their patient criteria.
She is also co-founder of South Asian Supernovas (hyperlink to website), a not-for profit organisation (in the process of becoming a charity) that alongside community, medical and oncology professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, and media to raise awareness and remedy inequalities in the breast cancer care of South Asians in the UK.
Health inequalities in cancer
Toral is passionate about combatting the lack of diversity in healthcare and ensuring both doctors and patients from marginalised groups, particularly racially minoritized groups, are equally represented within the NHS and healthcare systems. Currently, these have poorer health outcomes, even when you consider socioeconomic factors, and are often diagnosed with cancer later and at later stages.
Education and understanding bias is important for creating change in cancer care, so supporting
health care professionals to look at their own behaviour and process. Toral has created several talks and workshops aimed at educating health care professionals to close the cancer gap in South Asians and ethnic minorities.
Charities
She is working with several charities and organisations to ensure that they are creating more inclusive health promotion campaigns with more diversity and inclusivity so that all communities know that cancer can affect them, and support them to provide services that are inclusive for all. She is also passionate about breast cancer and cancer patients being acknowledged and compensated for sharing their stories and the associated trauma.
Research
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I-Prehab
Supporting I-Prehab at the University of Cardiff: Inclusive Prehab
(I-Prehab) to address inequity in cancer outcomes: mixed-methods evaluation research to enhance access, acceptance and adherence.
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FORALL
This study supports women living with and beyond cancer, who are affected by overweight and
obesity, to manage their weight as we know that excess body fat can increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence. The study co-creates with patients, particularly those from racially minoritised groups and those from socially deprived areas so that we develop ways to do this that are helpful for women and what makes it easier.
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NIHR Committees
Toral has been part of the NIHR Nutrition and Cancer collaborative
for over 4 years, and shares her personal and professional experience of cancer, and working with patients. She is part of the Living with and beyond cancer group and contributed to several studies, grant proposals and papers.
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South Asian breast cancer - awareness, diet & lifestyle research
In the UK, South Asians experiencer poorer outcomes and greater
risk of breast cancer at even after considering age and other confounders. The community has less awareness of self-checking, routine screening and modifiable risks so are often diagnosed at a later stage. Nutrition and lifestyle can make a huge impact on this risk but very little data has been collected and analysed in this population. Toral is working on data collection and analysis of data from South Asians in the UK in collaboration with several academic institutions and South Asian Supernovas.
Physical activity and breast cancer
There is much evidence to show that vigorous and moderate physical activity reduces the risk of breast cancer and recurrence. However, there are few programs supporting breast cancer patients to be more physically active safely post breast cancer diagnosis, particularly in advanced and metastatic breast cancer. Toral is involved with research to support patients to increase physical activity, particularly in racially minoritised groups, which face increased barriers to physical activity, and South Asians groups which require more physical activity to counteract metabolic
health.
Previous work
​Black Women and Breast cancer conference
Toral has spoken at this conference for the last 2 years. Black women disproportionately die from breast cancer and this conference addresses some of the challenges to narrow this survival gap.
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