Recommendations from a Dialogue on Evolving National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Requirements: A Path Forward

Patricia M Doykos; Moon S Chen Jr; Karriem Watson; Vida Henderson; Monica L Baskin; Sarah Downer; Lauren A Smith; Neeraja Bhavaraju; Samantha Dina; Christopher S Lathan

doi:10.1089/heq.2020.0156

Recommendations from a Dialogue on Evolving National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Requirements: A Path Forward

Health Equity. 2021 Feb 26;5(1):76-83. doi: 10.1089/heq.2020.0156. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, New York, New York, USA.
² UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, California, USA.
³ University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
⁴ O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁵ The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
⁶ FSG, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁷ Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Abstract

While cancer mortality is declining in the United States, significant racial, ethnic, economic and geographic inequities persist. To help address inequities in cancer treatment, care, support and research, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) instituted the community outreach and engagement (COE) mandate for NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs). The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation designed a convening and listening session on COE with NCI leaders and staff gathering representatives from CCCs and the broader cancer community. This paper captures recommendations from the listening session for the NCI and CCCs to further evolve the implementation and impact of the COE mandate on cancer control and outcomes.

Keywords: cancer center; cancer institute; community outreach and engagement.