Community Outreach and Engagement

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ABSTRACT One of the major functions of the COE is to build capacity for academic health centers and community-based organizations to collaborate in research, program delivery, evaluation and dissemination. To accomplish these functions, we rely on active Community Advisory Councils composed of key stakeholders representing the community agencies in the LCCC catchment area. The leading cancers in our catchment area are breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, pancreas, and liver and bile duct cancers. Behavioral and systemic risk factors linked to these cancers include obesity, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and limited access to cancer screening. Other issues include high prevalence of comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, exposure to potentially carcinogenic environmental hazards, underutilization of genetic risk assessment and HPV vaccination, and health issues related to cancer survivorship. The disproportionate impact of these cancers and their risk factors on underserved minority populations, primarily Non-Latino Blacks (NLB) and Latinos (H/L), make cancer health disparities a major issue in our catchment area. COE leaders partner with basic/translational and clinical researchers to overcome barriers to access to cutting-edge clinical trial research that benefits all patients in the LCCC catchment areas. The specific aims of community outreach and engagement (COE) are: Aim 1: Identify and assess the cancer burden and risk factors within the LCCC Consortium catchment area. Aim 2: Foster research that addresses the cancer burden in the LCCC Consortium catchment area with special emphasis on community-based research on vulnerable and underserved populations. Aim 3: Enhance and strengthen community-based partnerships and programs to deliver evidence-based cancer education and resources with impact within and beyond the LCCC Consortium catchment area.