Tracking community outreach and engagement activities among National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers

Todd Burus, Caree R. McAfee, Pamela C. Hull, Amy E. Leader, Christopher McNair

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant mandates that NCI-designated cancer centers establish a Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) component to help direct efforts at reducing cancer burden within their catchment areas. Despite the critical role of COE offices, little is known about how they track and evaluate outreach activities and outcomes. We gathered information on current practices from representatives of 40 out of 65 COE offices using an online survey. Although nearly all responding centers (97.5%) tracked COE activities, no consensus existed on resources used, and satisfaction with current solutions was mixed (51.0% not satisfied). Respondents expressed need for a centralized, standardized, and comprehensive tracking solution to capture outreach events and external partnerships, automate report generation, and ensure alignment with COE aims. This study highlights challenges COE offices face with resource limitations and a heterogeneity of activities to track, as well as the need for a standard evaluation framework.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)335-337
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of the National Cancer Institute
Volume117
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.

Funding

T. Burus, C.R. McAfee, and P.C. Hull were supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health grant P30CA177558. P.C. Hull also received support from the William Stamps Farish Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. A.E. Leader and C. McNair were supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health grant P30CA05603617. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or any other funders. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants P30CA177558 (Burus, McAfee, Hull) and NCI5P30CA056036-17 (McNair, Leader). T. Burus, C.R. McAfee, and P.C. Hull were supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health grant P30CA177558. P.C. Hull also received support from the William Stamps Farish Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. A.E. Leader and C. McNair were supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health grant P30CA05603617. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or any other funders.

FundersFunder number
National Institutes of Health (NIH)P30CA177558
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Childhood Cancer Registry – National Cancer InstituteP30CA05603617
National Childhood Cancer Registry – National Cancer Institute

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Oncology
    • Cancer Research

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