Creation of sustainable, community-based programs that generate national, state and community-level outcomes

This presentation will discuss how community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects developed within the context of strategic outreach and education initiatives in a Comprehensive Cancer Center, and have fostered meaningful impact locally, statewide and nationally. Respectively in 2010 and 2012 the positions of Community Health Educator and Community Outreach and Education Associate were developed, to reduce cancer health disparities and expand culturally sensitive community outreach to both rural and urban African American communities within the Cancer Center’s primary catchment area in Wisconsin. These two projects yielded significant outcomes within their respective populations, expanding not only cancer education and outreach to these disparate populations but also evolving into several CBPR projects which include the development of; a set of educational materials about cancer, basics, prevention and screening; a translated educational curriculum for implementation among the local Hispanic community; an adapted version for use with American Indians in Wyoming and Montana; a county-wide wellness program which targets not only cancer but the prevention and management of chronic diseases; an informed decision-making prostate cancer intervention; and a breast and cervical cancer intervention. This presentation will also discuss the unique circumstances of working from within a Comprehensive Cancer Center to conduct sustainable, community-driven outreach and education while building local, state and national partnerships. Additionally, this presentation will highlight the impact this work has on the development of research proposals and its potential impact on dissemination of research results and future funding opportunities.