Dr. Supriya Kulkarni talks lowering the age for mammograms with Deputy Premier & Minster of Health, Sylvia Jones

On October 8, 2024, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ontario’s Deputy Premier & Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones announced that, effective October 8, the province has lowered the age for self-referral for breast cancer screenings from 50 to 40 years of age.

By lowering the age of self-referral for screenings, Ontario aims to connect one million more women, nonbinary and trans individuals to life-saving breast cancer screening, estimating about 305,000 of those individuals will self-refer. As part of the Ontario government’s consultations, they spoke with Dr. Supriya Kulkarni, Associate Professor & Division Lead, Breast Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, who welcomed the announcement.

“We applaud the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) for its groundbreaking decision to lower the recommended age for mammography screening,” Dr. Kulkarni remarked. “This important update is a major step forward in our commitment to women’s health and proactive cancer detection.”

Dr. Kulkarni also underscored the importance of the new age limits on reducing barriers for young people, including social and racial barriers, or not having access to a family physician, all of which can prevent young women, nonbinary and trans individuals from having access to referrals or self-referrals.

Watch the full announcement or read the statement from Ontario’s Deputy Chief and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones.