Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR)

The Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR), an institutional research resource at MD Anderson, brings communities and researchers together to create long-term solutions to prevent cancer and improve health.

CCETR partners with researchers and community organization to translate MD Anderson scientific discoveries into long-lasting, real-world interventions and programs by:

•  Promoting people-centered research design to reduce enrollment barriers, making it easier for potential participants to join clinical trials, sharing both the risks and benefits of research
• Facilitating research collaborations with diverse community partners that serve people at higher risk for cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality. Partners include provider organizations at the national, regional, and local levels, such as physician organizations, health service organizations, Federally Qualified Community Health Centers, and public and private health systems
• Assisting with grant development and protocol design specific to community-engaged research
• Developing and implementing strategies to disseminate interventions and research findings in the community.
• Finding and sharing funding opportunities that support community-engaged research
• Providing public and hospital patient data to support grant development and protocol design for optimal patient participation in clinical trials
• Assisting with grant writing, recruitment planning and implementation, and other focused interventions to identify recruitment gaps and opportunities, and to increase clinical trial participation

Developing and providing trainings to staff and the public. Training topics include:

• Clinical Trial Bingo
• Plain Talk: Communication practices for understanding and action
• Designing inclusive research for diversity and accrual success
  
• Addressing non-medical determinants of health
  
• Establishing and managing community advisory board
  

Sustaining and fostering community partnerships require the identification of shared priorities and the provision of valued services for the community. CCETR offers the following services to community partners:

• Coalition building
• Strategic planning
• Program development
• Grant writing and program evaluation assistance
• Up-to-date information on innovative and effective cancer prevention and treatment methods