Sharing Our Research With Scientists and the Public
Funding good research isn't enough. If the research is going to be effective in reducing or ending the suffering caused by breast cancer, people need to know the results. The scientific community needs to know, to make progress against the disease. The medical community needs to know, to improve prevention and treatment. Women with breast cancer need the opportunity to learn about new treatment options. Breast cancer activists need information about research results to help them decide which changes they want to push for. Communities affected by breast cancer need to know what's been proven to work in other communities. And the taxpayers of California need to know what their taxes are funding.
The scientists whose projects we fund publish their results in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present them at scientific conferences. However, the California Breast Cancer Research Program is committed to making the research we fund available to a much wider public. We publish and distribute summaries of our research widely, in print and over the Internet. We are one of the few research funding programs in the world to publish annual summaries of research while the studies are still in progress. The CBCRP does this so scientists and other interested people can make use of the information as soon as possible. We get out the word about our research results and research in progress in a variety of ways:
Research Symposia:
Seven hundred people with a stake in breast cancer research exchanged ideas at the California Breast Cancer Research Program's third Symposium, held March 8–10, 2002, in Oakland. The event brought together the researchers who are working hard to end the disease and those with the most to gain from research progress: women who have, had, or are at risk for breast cancer.
The Symposium, postponed from the previous fall because the events of September 11 made travel difficult, provided a forum where research scientists presented their findings to a concerned public. Equally important, women whose lives have been affected by the disease shared their priorities and hopes with researchers.
At a plenary panel, experts discussed the process of transforming research discoveries into effective treatments. A crucial step is testing the new treatment on humans, known as a clinical trial. The panel discussed the paradox that treatment progress depends on clinical trials, yet any individual woman taking part in a trial may—or may not—benefit. Speakers also explained why trials take so long, gave advice to women on how to find out about opportunities to take part in testing new treatments, and talked about the media's sometimes-distorting role in interpreting the results of trials.
Researchers funded by the CBCRP presented their findings in meetings that included time for questions and comments from the audience. Symposium-goers could also find out about research results by viewing over 100 colorful posters. The posters ran the gamut from images of microscopic parts of cells to data on how participating in a support program helped a community of women. Scientific experts and breast cancer advocates were on hand to discuss the posters.
An art exhibition, ongoing throughout the weekend, used painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media to depict the many faces of breast cancer. Some of the art pieces were designed to be worn. They were modeled in a fashion show by survivors of breast cancer and women affected by breast cancer who ranged from a 22-year-old to a grandmother.
The hallway connecting the meeting spaces showcased tables staffed by representatives of community-based organizations that advocate for and serve women with breast cancer. The three-day event also included an additional day of training for members of community-based organizations and research scientists interested in teaming up to conduct research with funding from the CBCRP's innovative Community Research Collaboration grants.
At a luncheon for all participants on Saturday, Faith Fancher, news reporter on the Bay Area's KTVU/Fox Channel 2, told the story that followed her courageous decision, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, to share her journey through treatment with her viewers.
A moment at the luncheon captured the spirit of the Symposium. Emcee Holly J. Mitchell motioned for everyone to stand and said, “Let's have a moment of noise in honor of survivors and warriors!” Scientists stood beside women living with breast cancer. Survivors of the disease stood with policy makers. They waved their napkins above the tables like a sea of flags, and a mighty roar filled the hall.
We hold a research symposium every other year. The next symposium is scheduled for September 12–14, 2003, in San Diego.
Web site:
During 2002, we redesigned our Web site (www.cbcrp.org) to make it more
user-friendly. Now, visitors to our Web site can more easily find the information
they want about past and present CBCRP-funded research. We also offer a
lot more online information for members of California communities who would
like to team up with a scientist to conduct breast cancer research. Visitors
to the Web site can to join the CBCRP Community Partners and make online
donations.
Our new Web site retains the best features from our old one. It has summaries of all completed research projects and annual progress reports for ongoing projects, all in language accessible to the general reader. For anyone who wants a more detailed description, our summaries are linked to PubMed, a public access Web site for abstracts of published scientific studies. Our Web site also contains a list of each year's awards and information on applying for grants.
Annual Reports:
Our Annual Report, available free of charge to the public, contains summaries of all ongoing and completed research for the year. Multiple copies of our Annual Reports are available free of charge to organizations.
Summary of Awards:
To make it easy for scientists and the public to track CBCRPfunded research from the beginning, we publish a summary of new projects funded for the year. The summary is free to the public and posted on our Web site.
Newsletter:
Our newsletter, also available free to the public and posted on our Web site, reports on new awards, research results, and other program news.
Serving the Media:
We do regular outreach to the media about our program and about research projects we fund that are of interest to the general public. When reporters from TV, newspapers, magazines, or other media need information on breast cancer research, the CBCRP links them with appropriate experts.
Speakers and Educational Bureau:
When community organizations want speakers on breast cancer research for meetings and public events, we provide referrals from our network of researchers and advocates. We also refer research experts to teach continuing education classes for health care professionals.
