Sharing Research With Scientists and the Public
The sponsors of the legislation that established the California Breast Cancer Research Program recognized that funding high quality research is necessary but not sufficient to fulfill the Program’s mission. Therefore the statutory language calls on the CBCRP to disseminate the results of the research it funds. If the research is going to be effective in reducing or ending the suffering caused by breast cancer, then 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. People with breast cancer need the opportunity to learn about new treatment options. Breast cancer activists need information about research results to shape their advocacy agenda. 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 are funded by the CBCRP publish their results in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present them at scientific conferences. The California Breast Cancer Research Program is committed to making the research it funds available to a much wider audience. The CBCRP publishes and distributes summaries of Program-funded research widely, in print and over the Internet. The CBCRP is one of the few research funding programs in the world to publish annual summaries of research while the studies are still in progress, so that scientists and other interested people can make use of the information as soon as possible. Research results and research progress are disseminated in a variety of ways:
Research Symposia
Every other year, the CBCRP hosts a research symposium, a statewide conference presenting the results of the research the CBCRP funds. A research symposium typically draws 500 or more attendees.
The CBCRP’s fifth symposium, “From Research to Action: Seeking Solutions,” was held in Sacramento, September 9–11, 2005. In plenary sessions, workshops, and breakout sessions, researchers presented their latest findings, gave overviews of research fields, and predicted coming trends. Keynote speaker, Kenneth Olden, Ph.D., Sc.D., L.H.D., former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxiocology Program, predicted that understanding the role of environmental influences on breast cancer will be a key to preventing the disease.
Equally important, women whose lives have been affected by the disease shared their priorities and hopes with researchers. The CBCRP makes a special effort to bring women who have, had, or are at risk for breast cancer to the Program’s symposia. Scholarships that cover travel and accommodations were provided for 72 women this year.
Posters illustrating the results of 70 research projects funded by the CBCRP were on display throughout the symposium. Breast cancer advocate volunteers and researchers were on hand at posted times to speak directly with the public, interpret the results, and answer questions.
At a “Meet the Experts” breakfast, the public discussed breast cancer topics in small groups with research scientists and other experts. Topics ranged from alternative medicine to academic careers in breast cancer research to support groups.
“CBCRP Listens,” a community town-hall meeting, invited all attendees to give feedback on the research the CBCRP funds, the symposium, and other Program activities. Feedback from these sessions shapes both future activities of the CBCRP and future symposium agendas.
California community organizations sent representatives who provided information on their breast-cancer related programs. The meeting also included an additional day of training for members of community organizations and research scientists interested in teaming up to conduct research with funding from the CBCRP’s Community Research Collaboration grants.
This scientific meeting was intertwined with personal stories of women affected by breast cancer and the meeting also showcased the arts. At an evening reception, author and actress Marcia Wallace shared her entertaining story of twenty years as a breast cancer survivor. At a luncheon, the Sacramento-based DIVA Chorus performed three selections from Sing for the Cure, a collaborative collection of breast-cancer themed music and readings.
A curated art exhibition, on display throughout the symposium, used paintings, sculpture, photography and other media to reflect the far-reaching impact of the disease. Also on view was “Expressions: The Art of Science and Healing”, the CBCRP’s unique collection of wearable breast art.
A report, free to the public in booklet form and available on the CBCRP Web site, provides summaries of all presentations made at “From Research to Action: Seeking Solutions.”
Web site
The CBCRP Web site (www.cbcrp.org) has summaries of all completed research projects and annual progress reports for ongoing projects, in language accessible to the general reader. All research on the CBCRP Web site is fully searchable. Publication abstracts supported by CBCRP funding have links to the NIH’s PubMed, a public-access database of biomedical journals. The CBCRP Web site also contains a list of each year’s awards and information on applying for grants. In addition, all CBCRP publications are available and downloadable. The Web site includes an opportunity to make online donations to the CBCRP.
Publications
All CBCRP publications are available free to the public in printed form and on the CBCRP Web site. Multiple copies are available free of charge to organizations.
Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Every other year, the CBCRP publishes Advances in Breast Cancer Research, with summaries of completed research for the previous two years.
Compendium of Awards: To make it easy for scientists and the public to follow CBCRP-funded research from the beginning, a description of newly funded projects is published each year.
Formal Evaluations of CBCRP: Formal evaluations let the public understand the success and need for improvement of CBCRP work. Transforming Research: an Evaluation of the Community Research Collaboration Awards was published in 2005.
Community Research Collaboration Awards Abstract Booklet: The CBCRP’s Community Research Collaboration awards bring together members of community groups and academic scientists to conduct breast cancer research. This booklet, with abstracts of all community research collaboration research funded by the CBCRP to date, is designed to make community groups aware of this opportunity.
Newsletter: The CBCRP’s newsletters report on new awards, research results, scientific meetings where CBCRP is presenting an exhibit of Program work, and other Program news.
Further Methods of Sharing Research
Expressions: The Art of Healing Breast Cancer: The CBCRP owns a collection of wearable breast art created by California artists to reflect on the breast cancer epidemic. The CBCRP plans on continuing to exhibit this art collection throughout the state to create an avenue for health education about breast cancer and raise public awareness about the CBCRP’s research. CBCRP publications are available free at these art exhibits. During 2005, portions of Expressions: the Art of Healing Breast Cancer were displayed along with the CBCRP’s exhibit at scientific meetings. An art catalog of this collection is being published and will be available to the public.
Exhibits at Scientific and Community Meetings: The CBCRP presented an exhibit of the Program’s work at a number of scientific meetings during 2005. The meetings included: the Susan Love Foundation Intraductal Approach to Breast Cancer conference in Santa Barbara, the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Anaheim, the California Black Health Network Annual Conference in Sacramento, the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer and the Community conference in Oakland, the UC Davis Cancer Center’s Health Fair in Sacramento, the UC Office of the President Health Fair in Oakland, the Urban Health Festival in Oakland, the Long Beach Memorial Breast Care Center’s Spirit of Survivorship meeting, the Sisters Network’s Gift for Life Block Walk and Breast Cancer Health Fair in San Francisco, and Breast Cancer Action’s Celebrating Activism conference in San Francisco. The CBCRP also presented its exhibit at Miracles Faith Church in Oakland.
Serving the Media: The CBCRP does regular outreach to the media about the Program and about CBCRP-funded research projects 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 the appropriate experts.
Speakers and Educational Bureau: When community organizations want speakers on breast cancer research for meetings and public events, the CBCRP provides referrals from the Program’s network of researchers and advocates. The Program also refers research experts to teach continuing education classes for healthcare professionals.
