Community Outreach and Engagement

Rutgers Biomedical And Health Sciences, Newark NJ

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT (COE) PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Rutgers Cancer Institute’s catchment area (CA) is the state of New Jersey (NJ), home to 9.2 million residents in 21 counties; it is a densely populated, mainly urban geographic area with an overall population that comprises more communities and backgrounds compared to many U.S. states. COE activities are led by an interprofessional team of researchers, staff, and community organizations and members to address the CA burden and needs through high impact science and outreach. Dr. Anita Kinney, AD for Population Science and Community Outreach, leads the integration of COE into all aspects of Rutgers Cancer Institute. COE is informed by ongoing surveillance of the CA burden, a Community Cancer Action Board (CCAB) of cancer survivors and other advocates from across NJ, and other highly engaged community partners. These activities and input help ensure that various perspectives and communities’ voices are considered in program development, implementation, evaluation, and decision-making. COE includes 45 full time staff organized into five areas: CA Surveillance and Research Support, Outreach and Education, Prevention and Care Navigation, Community Partner Coordination, and Administration. COE is a vital part of NJ communities and CINJ culture. With its partners, COE evaluates community needs and the cancer burden to identify CA priorities by: 1) cancer sites of particular importance and associated risk factors; 2) cancer disparities; 3) access to care; 4) geographic regions with disproportionately high cancer burdens; and 5) research that addresses the CA burden and ensures appropriate representation of NJ populations in research. COE had substantial impact during this funding cycle, including development of the CA data dashboard and a digital community engagement platform; improvements in trial accruals, grants, and publications that address CA priorities; creation of the CCAB, five Program Liaisons and 35 Community Scientists; 12 internal pilot awards; two COE CCSG supplements; Community Science Cafés; and Science-to-Sidewalk/Sidewalk-to-Science initiatives. We have also advanced implementation of evidence-based cancer control actions by: leveraging community partnerships; delivering professional education and technical assistance; conducting educational outreach for community members; facilitating access to preventive services (navigation to screenings resulting in the detection of malignant and pre-malignant lesions); and through policy-related efforts, including ScreenNJ. We will build on our strong foundation to maximize impact on how cancer affects NJ communities through research, outreach, and community interactions. With longer term data, we will assess our impact on cancer incidence, downward shifts in stage at diagnosis, and mortality.