Cancer Prevention and Control

CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAM PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) Program’s overarching goal is to advance population research that elucidates and addresses Catchment Area (CA) cancer risks and outcomes, thus potentiating the impact of translational research via collaboration among multiple faculty, trainees, and communities towards improving cancer health outcomes. CPC utilizes CA resources (e.g., the NJ State Cancer Registry, the integrated health system) to identify and understand risk factors and outcome trajectories at multiple levels. Members develop, evaluate, and inform implementation of interventions, strategies, guidelines, and policies to address these risks, reduce cancer burden, and improve outcomes. Aligning with the strategic plan and catchment area priorities, CPC’s research falls into three major areas: 1) advancing the understanding of individual and contextual drivers of cancer risk, optimal treatment, cancer survivorship, and prognosis; 2) understanding tobacco use and informing implementation of effective tobacco control strategies; and 3) elucidating and mitigating cancer risk, and improving prevention and screening behaviors, as well as quality of life and other cancer outcomes through theoreticallyinformed individual-, family-, system-level, and technology-based interventions and implementation science. Since the last review, CPC has shown much growth in expertise, funding, and collaborations, with novel research findings and direct sustained public health impact. CPC has 58 members in 17 departments across seven schools in two universities. CPC members are highly productive and collaborative, as shown by its 729 cancer-focused research publications, of which 33% are intraprogrammatic, 20% interprogrammatic, and 79% multiinstitutional. Funding substantially increased by 67%, with a research portfolio of $10.2 million (annual direct costs) in cancer-relevant grant projects, with $6.9 million (direct costs) from NCI. CPC is led by senior investigators with complementary expertise and distinct roles in leading the Program. The Program benefits from various expertise and transdisciplinary collaborations across the cancer continuum including prevention, survivorship, health outcomes, care delivery and coordination, and tobacco control, as well as a strong record of mentoring the next generation of researchers in these areas. CPC research is invoked by bidirectional communication with the Community Outreach and Engagement team and community to address CA needs that also impact broader practices, policies, and cancer health outcomes. Future plans include enhancing transdisciplinary research, cancer research training, and bidirectional community engagement to address CA priorities, with the ultimate goal of reducing the cancer burden in NJ and beyond.