The Dartmouth Cancer Center is dedicated to serving the cancer-related needs of Vermont and New Hampshire (our 'catchment area') through excellent clinical care, cutting-edge research, and our Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) initiative.
Through our COE initiative, we focus on reducing the burden of cancer in Vermont and New Hampshire—especially in our most rural communities. By engaging with community members, we aim to ensure that our research reflects the needs of the community.
Many communities in New Hampshire and Vermont are rural, and research shows that people living in rural areas are at greater risk from cancer than people living in urban areas. For example:
- People living in rural areas are more likely to get cervical, colorectal, oropharyngeal (mouth/throat) and lung cancers.1
- Rural areas have higher rates of death caused by cancer, and the rate is increasing.1
- People living in rural areas are also more likely to smoke, less likely to get the HPV vaccine, and less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer—all of which increases the chance of getting cancer.1,2
Dartmouth Cancer Center's Community Outreach and Engagement initiative
Dartmouth Cancer Center's COE initiative is serving our community with the following three aims in mind:
- In collaboration with community stakeholders, identify, measure, monitor, and prioritize the catchment area’s cancer control needs and cancer health disparities—with an emphasis on rural and underserved populations.
- Catalyze catchment-focused research, support catchment participation in research including clinical trials, and foster bi-directional engagement between our catchment area community and scientists from across all scientific research programs.
- Address the cancer control needs and cancer health disparities of our catchment area and beyond through outreach that involves translation, implementation, and dissemination of research and evidence.
Training resources
The New Hampshire (NH) APPLETREE Program, NH Department of Environmental Services, the NH Division of Public Health Services and Dartmouth Cancer Center's COE team have collaborated to provide 3 video training resources supporting local leaders in responding to community environmental health concerns.
- An Introduction to the New Hampshire Environmental Health Guide (NH-EHG)
- Cancer Concerns in the Community
- Understanding Environmental Contamination and Risk (NH APPLETREE and Dartmouth)
Contact us
To contact the COE team, please email NCCC.Community.Outreach@dartmouth.edu. To reach specific team members, please visit our team member page.
Citations
- Henley SJ, Anderson RN, Thomas CC, Massetti GM, Peaker B, Richardson LC. Invasive Cancer Incidence, 2004-2013, and Deaths, 2006-2015, in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties - United States. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries. Jul 7 2017;66(14):1-13.
- Walker TY, Elam-Evans LD, Singleton JA, et al. National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13-17 Years - United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. Aug 25 2017;66(33):874-882.