Abstract LB-48: The survivorship and advocacy task force model at Breast Cancer Connections

Abstract

Abstract This poster demonstrates that an advocacy program can facilitate effective collaboration between a non-profit cancer support organization and the cancer research community. The evolution and scaling of the Survivorship and Advocacy Task Force Model is illustrated so that it can be replicated by other non-profit disease support organizations. Breast Cancer Connections (BCC), is a non-profit breast cancer resource center serving people touched by breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area and globally via the Internet and the telephone Helpline. BCC provides personalized information, support, and connections to other local and national resources in an atmosphere of warmth, sensitivity, and understanding. BCC was founded in 1993, by a surgeon and her patient who saw a need to augment what was being offered through the medical model. With more than 35 programs and services, all offered at no charge, BCC remains a vital and unique resource. Prompted by the requirement for patient advocate and survivor involvement in the research grant application process (California Breast Cancer Research Program, DoD, Susan G. Komen for the Cure) as well as by the increasing needs of breast cancer survivors, BCC formed the Survivorship and Advocacy Task Force (SATF) in 2008. The dual purpose of the SATF is to provide input and review to researchers applying for research grants and to assist BCC in developing services and programs that will improve the lives of breast cancer survivors. Task Force members who participate in reviewing research grants must be active research advocates and have formal training in the language and concepts of breast cancer research (such as Project LEAD Institute) or a Ph.D. in a discipline relevant to breast cancer research.The poster author chairs the BCC's SATF with five active members. The Task Force's efforts include meeting the PI to hear about the research, providing input to the PI on the research from the patient/survivor perspective, reviewing the grant proposal, refining the language of the lay abstract, writing a letter of support to accompany the grant proposal, and participating in the research if the research application is accepted. Current collaborators include breast cancer researchers from Stanford University, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and University of California, San Francisco. As funding agencies increase their requirements for advocate involvement and as awareness of the importance of survivorship continues to grow, requests for SATF participation continues to increase. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-48. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-48