Community Outreach and Engagement

New York University School Of Medicine, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COE) of Perlmutter Cancer Center (PCC) at NYU Langone Health uses participatory and social determinants of health approaches to engage communities in our catchment area, which spans three boroughs in New York City (NYC) and all of Long Island. COE aims to eliminate cancer incidence and outcome disparities in historically underresourced populations. We focus on specific cancer burdens and disparities in our catchment area, which include: 1) a high burden of lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer across all areas and groups, 2) particularly high rates of oro-digestive, microbe-related cancers (head and neck, cervical, stomach, liver, and colorectal) in in populations representative of the catchment area, 3) enrichment of specific cancer subtypes, such as triple negative breast cancer and highly aggressive prostate cancer, in representative communities, and 4) increasing trends of liver, melanoma, pancreas, and lung cancers in NYC. COE is guided by the following Thematic Aims: a) to identify and characterize the cancer burden and differences in cancer measures in the PCC catchment area, b) to communicate community needs to PCC research programs and catalyze high impact science, c) to engage the PCC catchment area in cancer clinical trials and cancer prevention and control research, d) to disseminate PCC research and evidence-based cancer prevention and control guidelines through tailored approaches to reduce longstanding differences in cancer measures in the catchment area, and e) to promote policy translation and dissemination of PCC research findings and evidence-based strategies. Directed by Chau Trinh-Shevrin, Dr. PH, with co-leaders Simona Kwon, Dr. PH and Joseph Ravenell, MD, COE is guided by an appropriate and robust Community Advisory Board representative of our catchment area to support community-driven PCC research and a Brooklyn Community Cancer Action Network to lead signature initiatives. By collaborating closely with community stakeholders, COE supports bidirectional communication between PCC catchment area communities and researchers to advance high impact science. Major contributions during the funding period include the dissemination of best practices for community health worker-driven patient navigation strategies and advancing a social determinants of health approach to cancer prevention, screening, and control. Proposed strategies for the next cycle will enhance community outreach and recruitment into cancer clinical trials and community-driven research initiatives that will inform national efforts to reduce differences in cancer measures.