Health Communication Core

The Health Communication Core (HCC) provides professional creative services to investigators who are advancing cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship, and addressing health disparities.

• Free consultation, including budgets for grant applications
• Writing and editing
• Logos and graphic design
• Website/app development and hosting
• Social media and outreach 
• Strategies for recruitment and retention

Digital Solutions for Research Challenges

Online hub for multi-site research

The CIMAC-CIDC Network website promotes collaborative efforts among four Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers and the Cancer Immunologic Data Commons with centralized lists of assays, clinical trials, and downloadable SOPs. Principal investigators: Cathy Wu, MD and Stephen Hodi, MD; Shirley Liu, PhD, CIDC Director.

Visit CIMAC-CIDC Network(opens in new window)

Recruitment for genetic research

The LiFT Up Study (Li-Fraumeni & TP53: Understanding & Progress) is an international collaboration using online recruitment to enroll participants in its gene mutation research. After learning about the study on the website, potential participants complete an eligibility form and are contacted by the research team. Specific sections of the site provide information targeted to individuals with a TP53 variant, their families, or healthcare providers who can encourage their patients. Principal investigator: Judy Garber, MD.

Visit LiFT Up Study(opens in new window)

Global research collaboration

The Malignant Germ Cell International Consortium (MaGIC) convenes multidisciplinary scientists from 40+ institutions in 11 countries to develop treatments for germ cell tumors. Their website highlights MaGIC’s clinical trials and provides access to its Data Commons of biospecimens and publicly available genomic data. Online applications encourage new members to join the consortium, and password-protected pages provide member-only access to documents. Director: Lindsay Frazier, MD.

Visit MaGIC(opens in new window)

Grant application support

HCC provides free consultation to help researchers budget for their study’s communication needs and enhance their applications with HCC’s NCI-recognized technical and creative expertise. Examples of funded grants that HCC collaborated on include:

• A City of Hope adaptation of the ASK About Skin Cancer intervention in English and Spanish, which will  promote early detection of skin cancer among stem cell transplant survivors (Alan Geller, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Co-principal investigator)
• A five-year collaboration between Mass General and Boston Medical Center to evaluate an online decision aid for cancer patients making decisions about genetic testing (Daniel Chung, MD, Principal investigator)
• A Phase II SBIR contract project titled “Enabling Clinical Decision Support for Guideline-Based Cancer Symptom Management” (Mary Cooley, PhD, Principal investigator)
• One of the first large studies of the role of fathers in their children’s health, conducted among male participants of the longitudinal Growing Up Today Study (Jorge Chavarro, MD, Principal investigator)