The Maryland Regional Community Network Program To Elim*

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) submits this cooperative agreement grant application (in response to RFA CA-05-012) to establish the "Maryland Regional Community Network". This Community Network builds upon and expands two existing Networks in Maryland, the NCI supported Maryland Special Populations Network and the state tobacco settlement supported "Statewide Health Network". The Maryland Regional Community Network (MRCN) will serve as the principal infrastructure in the state with the mission "...to reduce and eventually eliminate cancer health disparities in Maryland's rural and underserved communities." This Community Network Program is comprised of a headquarter organization, the UMSOM, six formal community regional subcontractor partners, and one academic partner, the UMES, an HBCU and Minority Serving Institution. Regional partners will focus on five geographic regions of the state, UMES, and a statewide Native American contract for both Maryland indigenous Tribes and Tribes that have migrated to the state. There are two overall goals that guide the research, outreach and education, policy analysis and training for this Network. The overall goals are: Goal A: To significantly improve access to and utilization of beneficial cancer control interventions in Maryland communities which experience cancer health disparities; Goal B: To train a cadre of well-trained researchers. Specific aims for this Maryland Regional Community Network support the cross cutting, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary community-based research, community education and outreach and training activities. Five broad aims guide the methods and activities of this Network. The overall aims for this Network are: Specific Aim 1) To develop a robust and sustainable community based regional infrastructure, which fosters enhanced community capacity in Maryland focused on reducing and eventually eliminating cancer health disparities; Specific Aim 2) To foster, conduct and apply results of culturally relevant and appropriate community based research and evidence-based community education and outreach on cancer health disparities; Specific Aim 3) To develop and implement training programs consistent with the overall goals of this CNP, which will result in an increased cadre of well-trained and culturally sensitive cancer health disparities researchers; Specific Aim 4) To foster sustainability and credibility of this CNP; and Specific Aim 5) To leverage additional resources to support CNP research, education and outreach, and policy formulation. This infrastructure will support community participation and sustainability of efforts to eliminate cancer health disparities as well as foster greater adherence to cancer prevention, screening, detection and treatment guideline for Maryland's underserved communities