Dana-Farber's Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, faculty director for cancer care equity, details health equity research that highlights key findings and recommendations on community outreach and engagement efforts of the National Comprehensive Cancer Centers.
cancer mortality in the United States is declining, but research shows a significant racial, ethnic, economic and geographic inequities persist. The cancer research community really wanted to talk and listen to each other and then also have some conversations with CI about what's going right and what could be better. Dr. Chris Lathan, the faculty director for cancer care equity at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, is the senior author on two recent papers published in the journal Health Equity. The papers highlight key findings and recommendations on community outreach and engagement efforts of the national Comprehensive Cancer Centres. Back in 2019, 22 of these institutions sat down with the National Cancer Institute or N. C. I. Doctor Lathan was part of that conversation. What has been clear that goes well, is these cancers comprehensive cancer centres are do excellent research what we have struggled with, and I think what is on the community engagement side. They identified several challenges, including the way research grants are set up. You publish your research, you share your research and then you move to your next thing. And did you leave any relationships? Do you have anything that's durable or did you come reap the benefits of of talking to this community and then move on to something else. How do you link that to a palpable presence in the community that feels that this comprehensive cancer center is there for them? Doctor Lathan says the group identified the importance of integrating research into the specific needs of the institutions, communities and then building partnerships based on trust. Dr. Lathan says the group found these stronger partnerships, especially vital in cancer screening and education efforts. If you have a screening program, um, it shouldn't exist in isolation from your vulnerable communities. Uh, it really should be laid out in a way that that integrates them and has has there, you're you're here, we hear from them and, you know, let's figure out how we're going to measure success and and make this, you know, give more than lip service to, you know, thinking about engagement. Dr. Latham says the research papers highlight important steps forward, putting responsibility for both real actions that can be put into place, as well as accountability on both the sea and the comprehensive cancer centres
