Cancer Risk and Disparities

Dana-Farber Cancer Inst, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (See instructions): The mission of the Cancer Risk and Disparities Program is to support research that will lead to a reduction of cancer risk and disparities across society. To achieve this goal, the Program has the following four specific aims: 1. Understand the individual, psychosocial, organizational and community-level factors that determine differences in cancer risk across the life course and population groups. 2. Develop, test and evaluate interventions to reduce cancer risk across the life course and population groups. 3. Advance the science of communication and knowledge translation to promote dissemination of evidence-based interventions to reduce cancer risk. 4. Examine causes of disparities in cancer risk and incidence and Identify interventions to redress these disparities. The Program was initially funded in 2000 when the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center was established as a consortium Center, and received a merit score of excellent to outstanding at the time of the last renewal in 2005. The Program Is led by L. Frazier(DFCI). There are two Co-Leaders: K. Viswanath (DFCI) and D. Williams(HSPH). During the current project period, the goals of the Program were substantially revised to include new research foci including: 1) the individual and societal factors that predispose to cancer risk, 2) the science of dissemination and 3) an explicit focus on cancer disparities, all of which represent expanded and vibrant strengths within the Program. The expertise of the 49 members spans epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, behavioral science, communication science, intervention science, health policy and dissemination. In 2009, the Program received $19.7 million in cancer-relevant funding (total costs), which included over $11.9 million in NCI funding and $6.5 million in other federal, peer-reviewed funding. Attesting to the productivity and interactivity of the Program are the 903 publications authored by members of the Program during the project period (2006 to 2010), of which 15.5% were Intra-programmatic ,18% were inter-programmatic and 16% were inter-institutional collaborations.