The Community Outreach team manages COE programs that interface directly with community members, cancer survivors, caregivers, and local organizations across the state. Through the statewide Kentucky Cancer Program (KCP), Markey Cancer Center and the University of Louisville Brown Cancer Center have worked together on delivering evidence-based cancer control programs across the Commonwealth for 40 years. This unique program of regionally-located staff maintains a deep network of 280+ local/regional partners, including District Cancer Councils that advise on adapting KCP programs to local needs.

Community outreach staff work to reduce cancer incidence and mortality through implementing programming with two audiences:

• Individual community members: 
  • Delivering direct health education to encourage cancer risk reduction and early detection behaviors and to promote wellness and quality of life among cancer survivors and caregivers.
  • Facilitating direct access to cancer prevention services, cancer screening services and community navigation assistance.
• Healthcare, public health and community organizations: 
  • Using a train-the-trainer approach to further amplify indirect reach to community members across the state.
  • Training and technical assistance to enhance the uptake and implementation of evidence-based interventions for cancer risk reduction and early detection.

The Community Outreach team also relays local community concerns to COE leadership, identifies community partners’ research interests and opportunities, and leverages robust regional partnership networks to facilitate collaborations with Markey researchers.

In 2022, COE added a new Research Advocacy Program to facilitate the direct involvement of cancer survivors and caregivers as research team partners on studies from all Markey Research Programs, with an emphasis on providing new community engagement opportunities for basic research and cancer clinical trials.  

For more information, visit the Kentucky Cancer Program website.