Community Outreach and Engagement

Addressing the burden of cancer in Oregon
The Community Outreach and Engagement team at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute aims to identify and address priority issues related to cancer prevention, early detection and screening, and access to cancer care in Oregon and Southwest Washington through grantmaking, research and community outreach and engagement.
Who we serve
- Researchers: We help scientists engage with communities and provide InReach support.
- Community members: We prioritize engagement with communities facing a disproportionate burden of cancer in Oregon.
Support for researchers and community members
We reach our catchment area—all 36 counties in Oregon—through the following programs:
- Cancer Health Educators: Deliver community education and provide links to care
- Clinical collaborations: Find us in communities across the state
- Community grants: Fund the development of sustainable collaborations with Oregon communities to address community-identified cancer needs.
- Events and sponsorships: Support community groups working to help cancer patients and their families, survivors, and researchers.
- Internships: Help high school, undergraduate and graduate students gain experience in cancer research and care.
- Knight Cancer Network: A collaboration of select community hospitals and oncology programs in the Pacific Northwest working with OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to end cancer as we know it.
- Research Advocates: Volunteers who ensure research at OHSU reflects the needs and interests of the cancer community
- Research Integration Team: Helps researchers and communities form bidirectional relationships to support cancer-related needs in Oregon.
- The COUNCIL: Advisory committee comprised of rural, tribal and state representatives
Advancing community-engaged research
We work closely with the Oregon Clinical Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) to transform research from a scientist–subject interaction into a collaboration. Together, our programs form OHSU’s Community, Outreach, Research and Engagement team.
