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Special Populations Networks—How this innovative community‐based initiative affected minority and underserved research programs
Author(s) -
Jackson Frank E.,
Chu Kenneth C.,
Garcia Roland
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.22164
Subject(s) - ethnic group , medicine , medical education , health equity , work (physics) , grant funding , research program , public relations , political science , nursing , public health , public administration , engineering , mechanical engineering , philosophy , epistemology , law
The Special Populations Networks (SPN) Program was created to address both community needs for cancer information and NCI's desire to obtain community‐based answers to research questions and promote training opportunities for racial/ethnic minority and underserved researchers in populations with an unequal burden of cancer. The SPN program included 3 components: 1) infrastructure and capacity building combined with cancer awareness, 2) community‐based research, and 3) community‐centered training. The 18 SPN grantees conducted more than 1000 cancer awareness activities. More than 2000 community lay health workers were trained. Communities formalized more than 300 partnerships with Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). More than 255 pilot research project applications were submitted by junior researchers and over 135 were funded. Approximately 90% of the applications were submitted by minority junior researchers; of which more than 100 were funded. More than 290 scientific publications thus far have resulted from the work of the SPNs. In the first 3 years of the program, the SPNs also secured an additional $20 million in outside funding. The SPN program effected a paradigm shift for minority research programs by combining community‐based cancer awareness, research, and training into a single program. By engaging research leaders of minority and underserved populations to aid their own, train their own, and develop research to help their own, the SPN program activated the power of their commitment to their own. That commitment was reflected in the trust and participation offered by their communities. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.