Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR)

The Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR), a research resource of the Duncan Family institute, helps investigators implement their research in community settings and supports the recruitment and retention of minorities and women to clinical trials. We help translate MD Anderson's scientific discoveries into real-world interventions and programs through a range of applications, project implementation and dissemination.

Our Services

CCETR supports research projects that translate new or current research findings into community settings. Our work spans innovative research areas, including physical activity and cancer prevention, lung cancer screening, treatment decision making, smoking cessation, obesity and community health. We are collaborating on projects that help patients make informed decisions about cancer screening and treatment, contributes to building a research agenda around obesity in African American families, improves community designs to support healthful lifestyle s and increases minority patient access to clinical trials.

Our services fall largely in the following categories:

• Identifying and connecting investigators with reliable and experienced community research partners.
• Facilitating introductions to and discussion of collaboration opportunities with community research partners
• Minority and women recruitment assistance
• Technical assistance with grant development, implementation and dissemination (e.g, consulting with investigators on the development of specific aims , assisting with evaluations and dissemination planning, reviewing study instruments for cultural appropriateness)
• Training on topics related to cancer disparities, cultural competency, population demographics and community-engaged research.