Twenty years of capacity building across the cancer prevention and control research network

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Mary Wangen, University of North Carolina; Ngoc-Cam Escoffery, Emory University; Maria E Fernandez, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; Daniela B Friedman, University of South Carolina; Peggy Hannon, University of Washington; Linda K Ko, University of Washington; Annette E Maxwell, University of California Los Angeles; Courtney Petagna, Emory University; Betsy Risendal, Univ Colorado Denver Anschutz Med Campus; Catherine Rohweder, University of North Carolina; Jennifer Leeman, University of North Carolina
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-04-17
• Publisher: SPRINGER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2023
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10552-023-01690-2
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CANCER CAUSES & CONTROL
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 12
• Grant/Funding Information: This paper was published as part of a supplement sponsored by the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN), a thematic network of the Prevention Research Center Program and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).; Work on this paper was funded in full by the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Cooperative Agreement Numbers [U48 DP006399, U48 DP006377, U48 DP006400, U48 DP006401, U48 DP006398]. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
• Keywords: Training; PROMOTING POLICY; Capacity building; Oncology; Evaluation; IMPACT; PROGRAM; Evidence academies; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; PUBLIC-HEALTH; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Science & Technology; Implementation practice; ENVIRONMENTAL-CHANGE; EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS; Mini grants; Online tools
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nursing; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Purpose: To improve population health, community members need capacity (i.e., knowledge, skills, and tools) to select and implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to fit the needs of their local settings. Since 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded the national Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) to accelerate the implementation of cancer prevention and control EBIs in communities. The CPCRN has developed multiple strategies to build community members’ capacity to implement EBIs. This paper describes the history of CPCRN’s experience developing and lessons learned through the use of five capacity-building strategies: (1) mini-grant programs, (2) training, (3) online tools, (4) evidence academies, and (5) evaluation support for partners’ capacity-building initiatives. Methods: We conducted a narrative review of peer-reviewed publications and grey literature reports on CPCRN capacity-building activities. Guided by the Interactive Systems Framework, we developed histories, case studies, and lessons learned for each strategy. Lessons were organized into themes. Results: Three themes emerged: the importance of (1) community-engagement prior to and during implementation of capacity-building strategies, (2) establishing and sustaining partnerships, and (3) co-learning at the levels of centers, networks, and beyond. Conclusion: CPCRN activities have increased the ability of community organizations to compete for external funds to support implementation, increased the use of evidence in real-world settings, and promoted the broad-scale implementation of cancer control interventions across more than eight states. Lessons from this narrative review highlight the value of long-term thematic networks and provide useful guidance to other research networks and future capacity-building efforts.