Overview

The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is conducting a virtual meeting to discuss research needs for addressing social risks in cancer care, with a focus on food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation barriers. This NCI-sponsored workshop will engage diverse stakeholders in panel presentations and participatory discussions to identify and understand research gaps, challenges, and opportunities to advance this scientific area.

Background

There has been increasing national attention on the social determinants of health and the important role they play in shaping health outcomes. Social risks are the adverse social conditions associated with poor health that may result in unmet social needs, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation barriers. They can pose significant barriers to the delivery and utilization of cancer care and contribute to adverse cancer outcomes, including greater rates of treatment nonadherence, treatment delays, and decreased health-related quality of life. In 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine proposed five system-level activities to strengthen the integration of services that address social risks and social needs into care delivery: Awareness, Assistance, Adjustment, Alignment, and Advocacy. Increasingly, healthcare delivery systems are implementing interventions to address patients’ social needs as part of routine clinical practice. However, there is limited evidence to guide the delivery of system-level efforts, especially in varied settings in which cancer care is provided. This workshop represents an opportunity to explore research needs and priorities for addressing social risks among cancer patients and survivors.

Meeting Goals

• Describe the scope of research addressing social risks in the delivery of cancer care
• Identify effective and promising approaches for addressing social risks in cancer care
• Discuss challenges, gaps, and opportunities for future research in diverse cancer settings

Who should attend this workshop?

This three-day workshop will be free and open to the public. This workshop will bring together clinicians, researchers, community leaders, cancer patients, survivors, and advocates representing a broad range of experiences and expertise in this scientific area.  We highly encourage you to register and participate in this workshop.

For further information please contact NCIHDRP@mail.nih.gov