This profile story features April Vallerand, associate professor in the College of Nursing at Wayne State University, whose research looks at pain management in African American cancer patients. Vallerand and her colleagues did a study in home care, how to manage cancer pain, approximately from 2000-05. Vallerand has found patients who can manage their pain do better. "It's that sense of knowing what to do to control your pain. If they didn't have that they were more distressed and less functional. Our African Americans had significantly higher levels of pain, more distress and significantly less function." A photo of Vallerand is included.