# Community Outreach and Engagement

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2024 · $372,903

## Abstract

Community Outreach and Engagement Summary
Because the University of Minnesota is a land grant university, our catchment area is the entire state of
Minnesota. Currently, 16% of the population is over age 65 years, and the proportion is growing quickly.
Immigrants make up 8.2% of the population, including the largest Somali and the second-largest Hmong
populations in the US, and Minnesota has a larger rural population than the national average. Our catchment
analysis identified a number of areas of focus as we strive to reduce the cancer burden in Minnesota, including
cancers with higher burden (melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma), cancers with disparities in incidence and
mortality (colorectal, lung, breast), modifiable risks (tobacco), and protective factors (cancer screening).
Our long-term goal is to address the burden of cancer and health equity in our catchment area by building
relationships, which we will achieve through the following Specific Aims: 1) Monitor the cancer burden and
identify opportunities for advancing equity in the MCC catchment area; 2) Engage community stakeholders and
partners and create bidirectional partnerships across communities, researchers, and healthcare organizations
to advance cancer equity and reduce cancer burden; 3) Integrate catchment focus within MCC Scientific
Programs and research priorities, build capacity for community engagement across MCC Programs, and
facilitate stakeholder engagement activities to catalyze cancer research focused on catchment priorities and
community needs; and 4) Facilitate dissemination of evidence-based interventions to reduce the cancer
burden.
The MCC COE Office is led by Co–Associate Directors Jen Poynter, PhD, and Rebekah Pratt, PhD, and
Administrative Director Kiara Ellis, MSW. Dr. Poynter, an experienced epidemiologist and population health
researcher, provides expertise in cancer surveillance. Dr. Pratt provides expertise in community-based
participatory research, practice-based research, implementation science, and cancer screening in minority and
underrepresented populations. Ms. Ellis provides expertise in community engagement, community organizing,
and advocacy. The leadership team is supported by 6 full-time staff. We also partner closely with the
Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network Engagement Specialist to expand our outreach to rural MN.
Our cancer education programs have reached >240,000 individuals through our public service announcements
and an additional 70,579 individuals through community-partnered events. Through our screening programs,
we have facilitated screening for breast (1400 women), oral (89 individuals), and skin (575 individuals) cancers
in the community. Future directions include expansion of patient navigation and creation of a patient advocate
program to increase enrollment of underrepresented groups in clinical trials and creation of additional
opportunities for MCC members across all Programs to engage with the community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10768151
- **Project number:** 2P30CA077598-26
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jenny N. Poynter
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $372,903
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1998-06-01 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10768151

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10768151, Community Outreach and Engagement (2P30CA077598-26). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10768151. Licensed CC0.

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