Reduction of Cancer Risk and Disparities Program

The Reduction of Cancer Risk and Disparities Program’s mission is to translate epidemiologic findings on risk factors into interventions that lead to reduced cancer risk and prevention of cancer morbidity and mortality. A Program priority is collaboration among transdisciplinary researchers and community partners to identify and implement risk-reduction strategies, enabling current science to be translated into sustainable population change — taking this information “off the shelf and into the community.”

The scientific goals of the Reduction of Cancer Risk and Disparities Program include developing, testing and disseminating interventions in three areas:

• Reduction of cancer risk behaviors, including smoking, sunlight exposure, inadequate nutrition, physical inactivity, and energy imbalance
• Reduction of environmental exposures, including tobacco smoke and occupational carcinogens
• Increased use of recommended screening for early detection of cancer (e.g. mammogram, colonoscopy, cervical screening) and early treatment of disease

• Bringing together researchers to develop, implement and  test new intervention strategies, enabling formation of networks such as MCPCRN and MASS CONECT
• Providing multiple CORES to support these research and dissemination efforts
• Strengthening linkages between communities and researchers to disseminate effective interventions for maximum population impact