COEE

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The DCI Community Outreach, and Engagement (COE) program supports and facilitates DCI’s mission to reduce the burden of cancer in our catchment area through: 1) Discovery: monitoring and evaluating the cancer burden and drivers of cancer disparities in the DCI catchment area; 2): Dissemination: building multidirectional engagement strategies to promote evidence-based strategies to reduce the burden of cancer in the catchment area; and 3) Impact: bringing to bear DCI’s scientific expertise in addressing cancer risk factors, incidence, mortality and disparities. COE promotes and supports catchment-area relevant activities within DCI through initiatives such as community engagement training, COE pilot grants, community scientist roundtable panels, and with guidance from two standing committees: the community advisory council and the COE steering committee. COE also supports activities that address cancer-related health needs in catchment area communities by leveraging partnerships with community leaders and organizations for cancer screening events, and health fairs through a network of community health ambassadors, and community-facing patient navigation. Accomplishments during the current grant period include launching a formal community engagement foundational training, with over 90% completion rate among DCI members; revamping the DCI community advisory council to better reflect catchment area demographics; establishing COE pilot grant funding; and developing a plan for increasing representative clinical trial accrual. DCI’s bi-directional slate of robust and comprehensive programs have significantly elevated the visibility, importance, urgency, and scope of community-impacting research and clinical care across DCI programs, activities that continue to have substantial measurable impact for patients and community members. COE is led by Tomi Akinyemiju, PhD (CRDI) Professor of Population Health Sciences and Associate Director for COE, while the outreach-facing arm of the COE program is led by Angelo Moore, PhD, RN. The COE program’s plan to reduce the burden of cancer in the catchment area is organized across three specific aims: AIM 1: To achieve respectful and collaborative engagement with catchment area communities, patients and caregivers, scientists, organizations, and policy makers to promote robust multi-directional partnerships. AIM 2: To study the nature, scope, severity, and drivers of cancer and cancer disparities and continuously monitor DCI’s impact in reducing cancer burden in the catchment area. AIM 3: To disseminate and implement evidence-based strategies and catalyze research to reduce the burden of cancer and advance strategies to improve access for all cancer patients in the catchment area.