Coordinating Centers as a Strategy for Accelerating Cancer Epidemiology Consortia: Best Practices

Amy Trentham-Dietz; Jennifer E Bird; Ronald E Gangnon; Sara M Lindberg; Tena Madison; Kristen M C Malecki; James D Shull; Claudia Vredeveld; Betsy Rolland

doi:10.1007/s40471-022-00282-z

Coordinating Centers as a Strategy for Accelerating Cancer Epidemiology Consortia: Best Practices

Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2022;9(1):1-9. doi: 10.1007/s40471-022-00282-z. Epub 2022 Feb 21.

Authors

Amy Trentham-Dietz^{1

2}, Jennifer E Bird^{1

2}, Ronald E Gangnon^{1

2

3}, Sara M Lindberg¹, Tena Madison⁴, Kristen M C Malecki^{1

2}, James D Shull^{2

5}, Claudia Vredeveld^{1

2}, Betsy Rolland^{2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF Room 307, 610 Walnut St., Madison, WI USA.
² School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA.
³ Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA.
⁴ Office of Strategic Consulting, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA.
⁵ McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA.
⁶ School of Medicine and Public Health, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA.

Abstract

Purposeof review: This review highlights six "best practices" for cancer epidemiology coordinating centers to facilitate the success of a research consortium.

Recent findings: Evidence from emerging literature regarding the Science of Team Science suggests that coordinating centers can more effectively foster collaborative cancer epidemiology research in consortia by (1) establishing collaboration as a shared goal at the start, (2) providing scientific expertise complementary to the research sites that adapts over the course of the project, (3) enacting anti-racist and inclusive approaches in all consortium decisions and activities, (4) fostering early-stage investigator career development, (5) engaging stakeholders including cancer survivors as peers, and (6) delivering reliable logistical support and technology tools with planned process evaluation so that researchers can collaboratively focus on the science.

Summary: By drawing on the Science of Team Science, coordinating centers can accelerate research progress and increase the impact of cancer epidemiology consortia.

Keywords: Cancer epidemiology; Coordinating centers; Team science.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding