PORTLAND, Ore.– The Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU has awarded grant funding to 13 community-led projects around the state in the latest funding cycle for its Community Partnership Program.
Organizations receiving funding in this round include:
The Next Door, Inc., Hood River, OR
Hike It Baby with the Oregon Public Health Institute, Baker County, OR
Coos Health & Wellness, North Bend, OR
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Portland, OR
Camp UKANDU, Portland, OR
Uriel Medical Foundation*, Bend, OR
Zenger Farm*, Portland, OR
Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation and Health Center**, Hillsboro, OR
Chelsea Hicks Foundation, Tualatin, OR
Gorge Grown Food Network***, Hood River, OR
Oregon State University – Union County Extension Service***, La Grande, OR
Klamath Tribal Health & Family Services***, Klamath Falls, OR
North Central Public Health District***, The Dalles, OR
Launched in October 2014, the program helps communities conduct cancer-related projects targeting a diverse range of cancer types and demographics, including:
A needs assessment regarding earlier detection and treatment of late- stage breast cancer for Latinas in the Hood River and Wasco areas.
A year-round camping and retreat program specifically for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in the Portland Metro area.
A community-based walking and education program to reduce obesity and cancer incidence in Klamath Tribal members located in Klamath Falls and Chiloquin.
To date, Community Partnership Program grants have funded 43 projects in 32 of Oregon's 36 counties.
"We are pleased to see that the projects chosen for this round will complement and build upon the accomplishments of our current grantees,” said Kerri Winters-Stone, Ph.D., co-director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program.
The latest award cycle offered a special call for projects proposing to use an evidence-based obesity prevention strategy. The special call was made possible by Meyer Memorial Trust, through their generous support of the OHSU Knight Cancer Challenge. Obesity is one of the leading risk factors for several types of cancers and for cancer recurrence. Interested applicants could choose to propose an evidence based approach to addressing obesity in one of two ways: increasing the availability and sales of healthy, affordable foods in underserved communities through corner stores or community-wide physical activity promotion. More than half of this cycle's applications responded to this special call.
"The overwhelming response illustrates a deeper need for cancer prevention funding across Oregon communities,” said Jackilen Shannon, Ph.D., R.D., co-director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program.
The Community Partnership Program offers multiple tiers of funding in an effort to help organizations start at the idea phase of a project and then build and test an effective solution to a cancer-related problem within their community.
Organizations with funded projects are connected with a variety of additional nationally-based trainings designed to increase their capacity and knowledge for developing evidence-based programs, provide them with networking opportunities and collaborate with OHSU faculty.
Learn more about the projects funded.
*Previously funded Tier 2 project, refunded as a Tier 3.
**Refunded Tier 3 project
***Project funded under this cycle's Special Call to implement an evidence-based obesity prevention strategy.
About the Knight Cancer Institute
The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University is a pioneer in the field of precision cancer medicine. The institute's director, Brian Druker, M.D., helped prove it was possible to shut down cells that enable cancer to grow without harming healthy cells. This breakthrough has led to new treatments that make once-fatal forms of the disease manageable. Building on this scientific leadership, the institute is launching a large-scale research program dedicated to advancing precision early detection of lethal cancers, one of the most significant unmet needs in cancer care. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center between Sacramento and Seattle – an honor earned only by the nation's top cancer centers. It is also headquarters for SWOG, one of the NCI's largest research cooperatives. In addition to its robust research programs, the institute offers the latest treatments and technologies as well as hundreds of clinical trials.
