Advances in understanding the genetic basis for cancer have led to new technologies for cancer risk assessment. Identification of families at high risk for inherited cancer depends in part upon increasing physicians? knowledge of the fundamentals of genetic cancer risk assessment. The City of Hope Cancer Genetics Education Program (CGEP) was initially funded in 1997 to educate healthcare professionals at the Cancer Center and regional affiliates about inherited cancer risk. In the previous funding period, all of the aims were accomplished or exceeded, with new cancer genetics content reaching more than 6,000 allied health professionals and approximately 1,850 lay individuals, through one-hour CME seminars, four full-day conferences at the Cancer Center and an educational internet website. These educational interventions resulted in an improved fund of knowledge (overall 37 percent average increase) and an impact on referral behavior, reflected by an increase in appropriate referrals to the Cancer Screening and Prevention Program by participants. The website (www.cityofhope.org/ccgp) received more than 7,000 queries and was also used for online registration. This continuation proposal represents a shift in focus to promote cancer genetics education among three new audiences that are influencers of decisions about, and access to, genetic cancer risk assessment (GCRA) services, including managed care organizations, healthcare professionals serving minority and underserved settings, and community-based advocacy organizations. The novel choice of audiences and the use of innovative informatics-based strategies for delivery of the educational intervention are the product of insights from a busy clinical cancer genetics service, experience from the initial project period, needs expressed by the target audiences and directions from an outstanding advisory committee.
