Community Outreach & Engagement Overview
The UF Health Cancer Center is proud to be a part of a community that moves cancer care and research forward. It is this community that helps shape and guide our mission — to prevent, detect and treat cancer — and brings new therapies to patients through philanthropic investments. Together, we have unstoppable momentum.
Community Outreach & Engagement Office
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) members participate in a group activity. (This image was taken prior to national guidelines of face coverings and physical distancing.)
The overarching goal of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Community Outreach & Engagement, or COE, office is to partner with community members, patients, families, clinicians, health system leaders, policymakers and Cancer Center scientists to reduce the cancer burden in the 23 counties we serve through novel outreach and engagement programs that span the cancer care continuum — from prevention to survivorship.
The Community Outreach & Engagement Office is guided by the principles of Community-Engaged Research, which aim to form equitable collaborations and shared leadership among the community and researchers, with emphasis on transparent bi-directional communication, mutual benefit and sustained commitment to change. These principles mirror those of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and emphasize reciprocal relationships, mutual co-learning, collaborations, transparency, honesty and trust.
Meet the COE Team
Jodian Blake, M.P.H., CTTS
Community Health Resource Coordinator
LaTrina Massey, M.P.H.
Community Health Resource Coordinator
Aims of the Community Outreach & Engagement Office
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) members participate in a monthly meeting. (This image was taken prior to national guidelines of face coverings and physical distancing.)
Aim 1
Assess and monitor the cancer-relevant burden in the UFHCC catchment area in collaboration with stakeholders (i.e., individuals, families, clinicians, communities, policy makers) using linked clinical, social determinants of health (SDoH), health care delivery, and community member reported-data. This includes a focus on individuals who have multiple, intersecting identities that compound health disparities and cancer burden. For example, Black women residing in the catchment’s rural areas have the highest incidence of breast cancer. White men, particularly in rural areas, face the greatest burden for lung cancer incidence and mortality.
Aim 2
Enhance the impact of UFHCC research by involving the community in setting a research agenda for the cancer center, increasing alignment of cancer research with catchment area cancer burden, and facilitating access to interventional trials, particularly for the traditionally underrepresented.
Aim 3
Engage the community as partners in adopting evidence-based strategies related to cancer prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship by identifying and addressing gaps in care across the cancer continuum, particularly for those with multiple, intersecting vulnerabilities; addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) that contribute to gaps in care, and providing educational forums and programs.
Aim 4
Engage the community in advocacy and policy development, particularly as it relates to tobacco prevention and improved access to care.
