OUTREACH CORE American Indians experience worse outcomes and lower chances of survival than other racial groups in the US for cancer, and cancer is the second leading cause of death for American Indians over the age of 45 years. High rates of mortality and morbidity are attributed to delays and obstacles in seeking and receiving cancer care. Limited funds allocated to Native American health care, lower socioeconomic status, and cultural, social, and geographic barriers to cancer care impede patients' ability to participate in screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Low levels of health care literacy, mistrust in the health care delivery system, and dissatisfaction and cultural discordance with providers are further challenges specific to Native Americans. Despite improvements in cancer screening techniques and major developments in cancer treatment in past decades, tribal communities do not benefit equally from these advances. Furthermore, relatively little of the advancements in cancer research addresses the specific vulnerabilities and strengths in these communities. The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) Outreach Core will integrate findings from the rapidly growing fields of resilience and research translation with the challenges common in health disparities research to recognize and enhance community capacities, support university-community partnership and investigator training, and disseminate outcomes from research efforts.
Aim 1. Increase University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) researchers' and students' knowledge of Native Americans' cancer burden, current cancer control programs, cancer-related needs, and health care systems to enhance institutional capacities to design sustainable, relevant cancer research and prevention programs.
Aim 2. Enhance skills and competency of NACP-supported students and investigators regarding best research practices when engaging in research with tribal communities.
Aim 3. Offer an innovative dissemination academy to students and investigators designed to augment their abilities to apply and translate NACP research results through enhanced health care services and community-based education activities.
Aim 4. Contribute to the National Cancer Institute's National Outreach Network (NON) and collaborate with NACP's Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to develop, prioritize, implement, and evaluate requested cancer-related activities to benefit Native American communities.
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