The University of Kansas Cancer Center Establishes Community Advisory Board

Community-centered research is a core value of The University of Kansas Cancer Center. To ensure our research serves the diverse communities in the cancer center’s catchment area, the cancer center formed a Community Advisory Board (CAB). The goal of the Board is to create back-and-forth communication between community members, organizations and cancer center leaders.

Primary responsibilities of CAB members to help inform the cancer center’s research priorities and community engagement efforts include:

• sharing community priorities and issues,
• reviewing KU Cancer Center’s identified priorities,
• updating KU Cancer Center on current initiatives within population-specific and network boards,
• assisting with the development of KU Cancer Center’s strategic plan,
• helping evaluate KU Cancer Center’s outreach efforts,
• assisting with understanding catchment area disparities,
• and identifying and supporting KU Cancer Center’s efforts to engage catchment area populations.

“As the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the region, we serve a diverse number of communities,” said Roy Jensen, MD, cancer center director. “Our goal is to achieve Comprehensive designation, the highest level of NCI designation. To do that we must demonstrate a sharp focus on the needs of those communities. The Community Advisory Board will play a key role in ensuring we engage those groups in our research.”

The CAB includes community members and organization leaders from across the state of Kansas and western Missouri, KU Cancer Center’s catchment area. The Board is comprised of 18 individuals representing a diversity of cancer experiences, skills, community connections, geographic locations and demographics. The KU Cancer Center CAB also has representation from each of the following University of Kansas Medical Center population-specific and network boards: Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT); JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health; Kansas Patients and Providers Engaged in Prevention Research (KPPEPR) Board of Directors; Masonic Cancer Alliance (MCA) Community Advisory Board; The University of Kansas Health System Oncology Patient Advisory Council; African American Community Advisory Board – Faith Works Connecting for a Healthy Community (FWCFHC); and Center for American Indian Community Health (CAICH).