Community Outreach and Engagement

ABSTRACT The overarching goal of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) Community Outreach and Engagement Component is to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer, as well as advance progress in cancer survivorship, particularly as relevant to disparities in our catchment area. Our catchment area is defined as 10 counties surrounding the University of Chicago, 81% of our cancer patients reside in our catchment area. The area has a sizeable population of underrepresented minorities with 53% non-Hispanic White, 17% non-Hispanic African American, 6% Asian, and 22% Hispanic. Cancer-related characteristics of our catchment area include: a) increased incidence and/or mortality of lung, breast, prostate, cervical, and colorectal cancers compared to the US; b) a larger Black/White difference in mortality from cancer compared to the US; c) higher rates of ?at-risk? behaviors, including smoking and obesity; d) and lower rates of colorectal cancer screening. The UCCCC has extensive basic, clinical, translational, and population sciences research addressing these elevated cancer rates and risk factors at multiple levels, including research aimed at: a) defining the cancer problems and disparities in the catchment area, in particular through two large cohort studies; 2) understanding the cancer problems and disparities in the catchment area (e.g., through research focusing on interethnic and interracial differences in genetics, basic biology, and chemotherapy side effects); 3) intervening to improve cancer problems and disparities in the catchment area (e.g., smoking cessation and colorectal cancer screening); and 4) research beyond the catchment area, particularly in global health. We have also identified a 13-zipcode area in our catchment area, directly surrounding the UCCCC, which suffers disproportionate cancer burdens, and we are conducting additional targeted research and outreach in these communities. The UCCCC Office of Community Engagement and Cancer Disparities (OCECD) directed by Karen Kim, MD, UCCCC Associate Director for Community Engagement and Cancer Disparities, serves as a bridge between the UCCCC and community stakeholders to promote collaboration and to address cancer disparities at multiple levels. The OCECD plays a critical role in centralizing the UCCCC?s activities in outreach and engagement, and fostering the conduct of research relevant to our catchment area in each of the Research Programs. Over the next funding period, we will extend successful programs into prostate cancer, increase our focus on cancer disparities in Hispanic communities, and continue to expand access to our clinical trials through new University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) network affiliates.