The Cancer Screening and Management Core

Goal:
The overall goal of the Cancer Research Core is to increase the participation of African Americans in cancer screening and management services and to broaden community-based activities that are directed towards eliminating disparities and equalizing the uneven burden of cancer in our society. These activities will aim to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in cancer often seen in underserved populations by engaging and partnering with communities to develop and enhance dissemination of information and increase research capacity using a stress reduction model. The basis for this effort is a collection of assumptions about the role of stress in minority health disparities and the potential benefits of stress management and reduction in reducing or eliminating these disparities. Based on this reasoning, the Cancer core will target the following objectives:

Objective 1: Determine the extent to which stress in the lives of African Americans is a factor in health disparities by shaping attitudes and help seeking behaviors for cancer screening and management.

Objective 2: Provide training and research opportunities to minority students, health care professionals, and other interested groups that have historically been underserved by medical care networks.