Outreach Core

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT – OUTREACH CORE The Cancer Research and Education to Advance HealTh Equity (CREATE) Partnership’s geographic area is composed of San Diego and Imperial Counties, the two U.S.-Mexico border counties in California which include ~3.5 million residents. This region is a majority-minority area, with extensive cultural, linguistic, and racial/ethnic diversity. Disparities in cancer risk factors, screening, treatment and survivorship continue to persist nationally and within the Partnership’s region, particularly among underserved groups. Generally, medically underserved individuals are diagnosed with cancer at a later stage and have poorer survival compared to individuals who are more affluent. Reducing these cancer disparities requires capacity development for evidence-based practice and community-engaged research and practice dissemination. There is also a need for greater engagement and training of researchers from under-represented backgrounds to collaborate with community organizations that serve this population. Further, communities rarely have opportunities to develop research programs and implement evidence-based practices in collaboration with expert clinicians and researchers. Using innovative approaches that are integrated into all Partnership components, the Outreach Core addresses these gaps through its overarching goal: To integrate community engagement principles into all CREATE Partnership activities. To accomplish this, the Outreach Core will adopt the Community-to-Bench model, which provides an intentional effort to ensure community engagement and bi-directional dialogue. The following Specific Aims are proposed: 1) Advance cancer health equity by facilitating and supporting catchment area-relevant research and community-engaged research including but not limited to Partnership-sponsored research projects; 2) Provide support to community health centers for screening, early detection, linkage to care and referral pathways; 3) Foster community engagement by conducting needs assessments, disseminating evidence-based practices and resources and implementing educational and outreach activities; and 4) Contribute to the Partnership’s educational mission by providing educational opportunities to undergraduate, graduate and medical students, as well as early-stage investigators in areas of community-engaged research and cancer disparities. Working closely with the Community Advisory Board, the OC will build upon existing community partnerships to further expand the Partnership’s outreach activities with underserved communities and to support research in catchment area priority cancers. To conduct this work, the Core has assembled a multidisciplinary team with expertise in cancer disparities research, prevention, multilevel interventions, and community health system interventions. The Core’s collaborative approach is responsive to community needs and will improve cancer health equity in the Partnership’s region and beyond.