SOUTH CAROLINA CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL RESEARCH NETWORK III (SC-CPCRN-III)

FUNDING SOURCE: CDC, 2019-2024 (previously funded in 2009-2014 and 2014-2019)

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Daniela B. Friedman, MSc, PhD

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:

SUBCONTRACT PARTNERS:

PROJECT DIRECTOR: Sam Noblet, MPH

Cancer-related health disparities in South Carolina (SC) are among the largest in the nation. The South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (SC-CPCRN) is currently one of eight Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Collaborating Centers working to reduce cancer-related health disparities among disenfranchised and medically underserved populations by advancing dissemination and implementation (D&I) science. In strong partnership with the SC Primary Health Care Association; federally qualified health centers; the SC Hospital Association; South Carolina Cancer Alliance, which administers our state’s comprehensive cancer plan; and other academic, clinical, community, and faith-based partners, the SC-CPCRN uses evidence-based approaches for the D&I of efficacious cancer prevention and control messages, guidelines, and interventions.

The relevance of our D&I efforts in SC is strengthened considerably through established partnerships with our target audiences and stakeholders in both urban and rural regions, leading to improved health outcomes. Our team’s well-recognized community-engaged research approach to D&I science and community-clinical linkages increase the validity and relevance of our work, ultimately providing all stakeholders with valuable information about strategies and programming for improving health and reducing cancer-related health disparities. This work is guided by the latest D&I science and national cancer research priorities. These priorities include (1) Healthy People 2020 cancer-specific objectives, (2) National Prevention Strategy’s recommendations for integrated and coordinated public health efforts across practice settings, (3) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion domains regarding health systems intervention/clinical prevention services and community-clinical linkage interventions, (4) National Cancer Institute’s emphasis on rural cancer control, and (5) Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations of the Cancer Moonshot focused on proven cancer prevention and early-detection strategies through implementation science. We will utilize existing local and regional organizational infrastructure and strong partnerships and will continue to encourage new linkages between community and clinical partners for our center-specific and cross-center D&I initiatives. 

Our Specific Aims are to: 1) Disseminate, implement, and evaluate efficacious, multi-level, and multi-site public health, cancer control interventions to address cancer-related health disparities; 2) Engage community and clinical partners in research, training, and technical assistance to strengthen D&I science for cancer control in SC and nationally, and translate effective community-based interventions for cancer prevention and screening into practice; and 3) Increase the capacity of community and clinical partners in the D&I of evidence-based cancer control strategies for reaching underserved, minority, and rural populations.

To learn more about the SC-CPCRN-III, please visit: sph.sc.edu/sc-cpcrn.