Community Outreach and Engagement Service Area

To facilitate and guide cancer-related research and community outreach, the DLDCCC Leadership launched a project to create a data-rich, interactive mapping tool. There are two versions: one for DLDCCC members and one for the community. This dashboard allows users to: 1) Analyze cancer rates in different neighborhoods within the catchment area, 2) Plan and monitor recruitment for research studies and clinical trials, 3) Organize and implement community outreach and engagement efforts based on cancer screening patterns and incidence, and 4) Plan and implement tailored cancer prevention and education programs based on community need. Its user-friendly interface offers insights into cancer incidence, mortality, and risk factors, highlighting patterns, distribution, hotspots, and trends over time. The community-facing dashboard will soon be publicly available on DLDCCC platforms and social media. In partnership with the Community Outreach and Engagement Team, dashboard training will be offered for Community and Patient/Caregiver Advisory Board members, community partners/leaders, and at outreach events, in an effort to assist community engaged programs including research.

The National Outreach Network (NON) is a program from the National Cancer Institute that focuses on advancing culturally tailored cancer education and awareness among underserved communities. The goals of the NON are 1) to improve the sharing of cancer-related information between the NCI, cancer centers, and the communities we serve, and 2) to enhance involvement of all communities in cancer research, including those with less frequent representation in clinical trials. The NON assists the NCI with sharing relevant cancer information that fits the needs of all communities. Dr. Betsy Escobar, Coordinator of Community Engagement and Partnerships,  serves as the DLDCCC’s  NON liaison, ensuring community health workers and educators within and outside the DLDCCC and our advisory boards have relevant cancer-related information. She also interfaces with the Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) (NCI, 2024, designed to improve access to cancer prevention programs), which has seven hubs located at NCI-designated Cancer Centers across the U.S. (Figure 2). These hubs help researchers, students, and educators collaborate to support research and train new scientists while improving access to information and research programs for communities with less access to healthcare. Additionally, these regional networks enhance our community outreach and engagement efforts through collaborative research, training, and information sharing.