Innovation in Outreach, Risk Assessment Prevention and Early Detection

The UCCRC has reinvigorated its commitment to community outreach and research in prevention, surveillance, epidemiology, health services, behavioral science, and cancer survivorship. The UCCRC is advancing cancer control in local communities and beyond, through a broad range of mechanisms.

The Center for Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research pursues a collaborative approach to examine population health and to evaluate and eliminate group differences in health. In the first five years, the Center has focused on understanding population differences in genetic and environmental factors that contribute to breast cancer in Caucasians, women of African descent living in America, and women native to Nigeria.

The Cancer Risk Clinic, led by Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, is a diagnostic and preventive care program. Teams of experts (physicians, social workers, nurses and genetic counselors) work closely with patients and their families, assessing risk and developing strategies for prevention.

The University of Chicago Medical Center Upper Aerodigestive Cancer Risk Clinic identifies and evaluates people at high risk for the development or recurrence of lung and esophageal cancers and mesothelioma. With its arsenal of prevention strategies and therapies, the Clinic strives to protect at-risk individuals from the development of these malignancies and treats them if pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions are discovered. One of its leaders, Dr. Kyle Hogarth, MD, is an expert in state-of-the-art fluorescence bronchoscopy–a technique that can detect miniscule, pre-cancerous tissue. Early detection significantly increases the possibility of a positive treatment outcome.

The Community Engagement Centering on Solutions (CECOS) program represents a comprehensive effort to enhance public awareness of cancer prevention, early detection, and control. Led by Rick Kittles, PhD, Associate Director for Diversity and Community Outreach, CECOS has developed strong links with the community to educate the public on all aspects of cancer genetics with an emphasis on prevention and early detection. CECOS continues to develop collaborative partnerships with the community and its leaders to promote healthier neighborhoods, provide for sustained engagement with Chicago's South Side, and communicate the benefits of participation in basic cancer research and clinical trials.  

The Center for Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention is led by Habibul Ahsan, MD, MMedSc, the UCCRC’s Associate Director for Population Research. Dr. Ahsan is integrating the expertise, experience, and creativity of the University’s talented clinicians, biologists, chemists, geneticists, and social scientists in a multifaceted, research program.

The Cancer Resource Center is staffed by a trained social worker and an administrator who help patients and their families:

  • Access comprehensive cancer information, including facts about specific types of cancer, treatment information and pain management;
  • Obtain information about innovative cancer research trials and how to participate in them;
  • Connect with community resources that supply housekeeping, home healthcare, child care, medical equipment, and other support services; and
  • Join support groups designed to serve their emotional and informational needs.