Determining the Cancer Center priorities at the Wilmot Cancer Institute: A proposed framework informed by an academic-community collaborative approach

Current National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant guidelines include a Community Outreach and Engagement merit descriptor related to the justification of Cancer Center priorities. Unfortunately, there is limited guidance and published literature on the process of determining the Cancer Center priorities. The purpose of this commentary is to propose a framework for Cancer Center prioritization, informed by the academic-community collaborative approach that the Wilmot Cancer Institute (Wilmot) at the University of Rochester implemented as part of a successful application for NCI designation. We first defined Wilmot's catchment area and curated data on the cancer burden in that area. We then collaborated with program leaders to assess Wilmot's capacity to address the cancer burden in its catchment area. We iteratively worked with our Community Cancer Action Council (CCAC) to determine the Cancer Center priorities. Cancer incidence, mortality, risk factors, and screening data, as well as ongoing research from Wilmot's scientific programs, were the factors that Wilmot leaders and CCAC partners considered to make this determination. Thus, (1) tobacco-related cancers (ie, bladder, esophageal, head and neck, larynx, and lung cancers; including addressing tobacco prevention and cessation, and promoting lung cancer screening), (2) hematologic malignancies (ie, leukemia and lymphoma), and (3) pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers were determined as the Cancer Center priorities. These Cancer Center priorities have informed research and outreach at Wilmot.