Core B: Community Outreach & Engagement Core

University Of Miami School Of Medicine, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Abstract

In the US and globally, anal cancer (AC) and cervical cancer (CC) incidence and mortality rates vary significantly across population groups. Access to disease prevention (e.g., vaccination and/or screening) and treatment remains limited to the different population groups and is further problematized by excess exposure to social determinants of health (SDoH), which are known to impede health opportunity. SDoH, including poverty, inadequate housing, limited access to healthy food options, and neighborhood deprivation, contribute to an increased risk of AC and CC onset and progression; they also play a critical role in driving social norms about research and the benefit of participation in communities. Many communities in the US remain skeptical about research and, therefore, are often less represented in studies, even those focused on diseases, such as AC and CC that disproportionately affect them. Overcoming such skepticism requires that researchers employ community-engaged methodologies that prioritize facilitating trustworthiness and enhancing local capacity to support collaborative research. To do so, scientists must effectively bridge the chasm between “researcher” and “researched” by inviting active participation of community members throughout the entire research process, from idea conceptualization to dissemination of findings. The three institutions participating in the proposed PeRsonalized Outreach and Multifaceted Interventions for Screening Enhancement (PROMISE) for Anal and Cervical Cancer Prevention & Treatment Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) have significant experience working collaboratively with communities to advance mutually beneficial translational science. University of Miami and Emory University have established robust infrastructure through their P30-funded NCI-designated cancer centers (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Winship Cancer Institute, respectively), Clinical Translational Science Awards (UL1TR002378-08), and Centers for AIDS Research. Their capacity to enable ongoing, bi-directional engagement, outreach, and research with stakeholders throughout their respective catchment areas is further enhanced by Morehouse School of Medicine’s Prevention Research Center (U48 DP005042), and other programs with high community impact. The PROMISE SPORE Community Outreach and Engagement Core leverages and extends such infrastructure and capacity to ensure that our emerging science, its ultimate dissemination, and the career development of our trainees reflect the priorities and perspectives of community members and other stakeholders. By centering PROMISE around the voices and experiences of those directly impacted by CC and AC, we can make measurable progress toward advancing science in cancer and other health conditions that disproportionally affect the most vulnerable in the US and globally.