Cancer Community Partnership

About Us

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Community Partnership was created by the NCI Center for Cancer Training in 2020 to connect the scientific and medical community with individuals personally affected by cancer. The Cancer Community Partnership is a collaboration between individuals affected by cancer, patient advocates, and researchers. We hope that, together, we will be able to learn from one another through inclusive conversations and influence the development of cancer science and cancer care by integrating the patient experience at all levels.

Our Mission 

We are a learning community with three primary goals:

1. For early career scientists to learn about the patients' perspectives and develop skills around communicating with a lay audience 

2. For individuals affected by cancer to have an opportunity to share their experiences; and for research advocates to share the collective patient perspective and help advance science

3. To bring together people from across the cancer continuum to learn from one another 

Our primary activities will be interactive events covering crowd-sourced topics, including presentations by cancer researchers and fellows, discussions, and panels between researchers, patients, and research advocates. Members of the community are welcome to attend any of our events, which will be offered at a variety of times throughout the year to allow for flexibility in scheduling. We are looking for advocates to assist us in forming long-term relationships in the community, equip our fellows with effective communication skills, and help ensure that everyone is supported in the program.

Current Activities 

Our upcoming seminars will highlight the vital roles of patient advocates in advancing cancer research.  We aim to amplify and empower a diverse range of voices by providing a platform for advocates to share their stories and unique insights with trainees at NCI.  By hearing the patient's perspective, we hope that participants will recognize the importance of integrating the patient's voice into cancer research and training.   

Past Activities 

In the Know… Seminar Series

The “In the Know..” seminar series fostered communication between scientific researchers and the cancer community through interactive discussions based on curated topics.  Speakers reviewed scientific concepts that are often mentioned in the media or during scientific presentations but are not always easily understood by members of the cancer community.  With explanations of complex terminology and data in lay language, patients and advocates could learn first-hand from the scientists working on innovative cancer research.  

Partnerships

We collaborate with the NCI Office of Advocacy Relations to strengthen our connections with patients and advocates in the cancer community and provide oversight to the program.

Contact

Email: ncicancercommunity@nih.gov