Community serving through outreach and engagement

Our staff and faculty are committed to reducing cancer-related health disparities and the cancer burden faced in our communities by developing and using novel community outreach and engagement strategies, promoting evidence-based screening and linking patients to care and cancer research opportunities.

The Community Advisory Board gathers quarterly with the COE team to discuss outreach opportunities and ongoing research and to build partnerships with local organizations that share the goal of reducing the cancer burden in the community.

Community scientists collaborate with researchers to ensure community perspectives are incorporated throughout the research continuum, from topic identification to study design and dissemination of findings.

The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement works closely with a variety of community organizations to strengthen its impact.

The Mobile Cancer Screening Connector is outfitted with leading-edge technology to bring a range of cancer screening and health care services directly to the community.

We are working with local communities and clinics to increase access to high-quality cancer prevention, detection and treatment services.

Cancer Connections is an educational and networking event that brings together cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and health care professionals. Presentation topics include leading-edge cancer research, treatment options and health care services, explained in an easy-to-understand way.

The Cancer Policy Internship immerses students in the life of a legislative aide in Washington D.C., the heart of federal policy and legislative action. For four months, UF students play an integral role in supporting the university’s agenda on a national level, ensuring UF is a leading expert voice on important issues.

The UF Health Cancer Institute partners with The Beautiful Gate Cancer Support & Resource Center to host a virtual breast cancer support group on the last Thursday of every month.

Community engagement is a framework that describes collaboration between researchers and community members throughout the research process.

The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement offers numerous services for researchers across all phases of studies.  Each plays an important role in facilitating collaboration, providing expertise and fostering meaningful engagement.

The CDRC consists of a group of eight Black churches, an interdisciplinary team of culturally sensitive researchers, and a health disparities research support staff working collaboratively to conduct community-based participatory research to help prevent and/or reduce cancers among Blacks and others who live in the East Gainesville community in Gainesville, Florida.

The Transportation & Lodging for Care (TLC) service is designed not just to assist, but to rethink how we support patients along their cancer journey. TLC coordinators can help arrange lodging at local hotels, provide meals during patients’ stay, offer assistance with gas costs, and even organize rides if needed.

In this free course, you can explore the field of implementation science and learn how to connect with community members and other vital sources that will add depth to your investigations. This course was developed by doctoral candidate Miranda Reid and funded by the National Cancer Institute, with additional support from the Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy. This course is available to anyone interested in community health and how to improve it with scientific evidence.