Creating Community-Academic Partnerships for Cancer Disparities Research and Health Promotion

Cathy D. Meade, Moffitt Cancer Center
Janelle M. Menard, University of Miami
John S. Luque, Georgia Southern University
Dinorah Martinez Tyson, University of South Florida
Clement K. Gwede, Moffitt Cancer Center

This is an Accepted Author Manuscript obtained from the PMC. The publisher's final edited version of this article is available at the Health Promotion Practice.

Abstract

To effectively attenuate cancer disparities in multiethnic, medically underserved populations, interventions must be developed collaboratively through solid community-academic partnerships and driven by community-based participatory research (CBPR). The Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network (TBCCN) has been created to identify and implement interventions to address local cancer disparities in partnership with community-based nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, community health centers, local media, and adult literacy and education organizations. TBCCN activities and research efforts are geared toward addressing critical information and access issues related to cancer control and prevention in diverse communities in the Tampa Bay area. Such efforts include cross-cultural health promotion, screening, and awareness activities in addition to applied research projects that are rooted in communities and guided by CBPR methods. This article describes these activities as examples of partnership building to positively affect cancer disparities, promote community health, and set the stage for community-based research partnerships.