Twenty years of collaborative research to enhance community practice for cancer prevention and control

Cancer Causes Control. 2023 Dec;34(Suppl 1):1-5. doi: 10.1007/s10552-023-01700-3. Epub 2023 May 16.

Abstract

The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) was established in 2002 to conduct applied research and undertake related activities to translate evidence into practice, with a special focus on the unmet needs of populations at higher risk of getting cancer and dying from it. A network of academic, public health and community partners, CPCRN is a thematic research network of the Prevention Research Centers Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) has been a consistent collaborator. The CPCRN has fostered research on geographically dispersed populations through cross-institution partnerships across the network. Since its inception, the CPCRN has applied rigorous scientific methods to fill knowledge gaps in the application and implementation of evidence-based interventions, and it has developed a generation of leading investigators in the dissemination and implementation of effective public health practices. This article reflects on how CPCRN addressed national priorities, contributed to CDC's programs, emphasized health equity and impacted science over the past twenty years and potential future directions.

Keywords: Applied public health research; Cancer disparities; Community-based intervention; Health equity; Implementation science; Research network.

MeSH terms

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.
  • Delivery of Health Care*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / prevention & control
  • Public Health
  • United States