Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Centers: 2024 Special Interest Project Competitive Supplements (SIPS)-South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network IV

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 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 nine 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 South Carolina Cancer Alliance; federally qualified health centers; 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 2030 objectives to increase cancer screening rates, decrease mortality, and increase survival; (2) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s approach to the social determinants of health; (3) NCI’s emphasis on rural cancer control; and (4) Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations of the Cancer Moonshot focused on “expanding development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to reduce cancer risk and cancer-related disparities”. 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.