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 most recent symposium, “From Research to Action: Seeking Solutions,” was held in Sacramento, September 9–11, 2005.

These statewide conferences provide a forum where research scientists present their findings to a concerned public. Equally important, women whose lives have been affected by the disease share 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 are provided. Artwork that portrays the breast cancer experience is on display. California community organizations also send representatives who provide information on their breast-cancer related programs. In addition, scientists can get information on how to obtain CBCRP funding for their investigations.

The next symposium, the CBCRP's sixth, will be held at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles, September 7-9, 2007. A plenary session will focus on recent advances in breast cancer treatment.

Web site

The CBCRP Web site (www.CABreastCancer.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.

During 2006, the CBCRP Web site became more interactive, with the addition of several new features.

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.

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. During 2006, portions of Expressions: the Art of Healing Breast Cancer were displayed along with the CBCRP’s exhibit at scientific meetings. The next exhibit of the entire collection is planned for the CBCRP's 2007 symposium. An art catalog of this collection is available online at the CBCRP Web site.

Exhibits at Scientific and Community Meetings: The CBCRP presented an exhibit of the Program’s work at a number of scientific and community meetings during 2006. The meetings included:

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. Requests for speakers and educators rose during 2006.