Unified Network Initiative to Enhance Community Dialogue and Site Education (UNITED)

September 11, 2023

Unified Network Initiative to Enhance Community Dialogue and Site Education (UNITED): A shared community engagement and site education resource for the ‘CASCADE’ network.

Since 2021, the NCI DCP has supported an initiative for the US-Latin American-Caribbean HIV/HPV Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (ULACNet) focused on these activities, called the ULACNet Initiative to Enhance Community Dialogue (UNITED).

With the recent launch of the 'CASCADE' network which shares a focus on the population of individuals living with HIV, NCI DCP is expanding and re-organizing UNITED. The expanded initiative will now be known as the “Unified Network Initiative to Enhance Community Dialogue and Site Education (UNITED)” and will provide a dynamic framework for both ULACNet and 'CASCADE' to promote activities that build shared trust between researchers and the communities, and to ensure that research outcomes and benefits are disseminated to study participants and the broader community.

In addition, UNITED will enhance both the ULACNet and 'CASCADE' networks by:

Providing a forum for network members to share knowledge and lessons learned on effective strategies for enhancing study recruitment and community engagement.
Providing training and educational opportunities for 'CASCADE' and ULACNet members.
Providing clinical trial resources for network study participants, their families, and the public.

The activities in the expanded UNITED program align with the goals and strategies of the National Cancer Plan, especially:

Effectively partnering with providers, researchers, and communities at increased risk for cancer to improve screening rates.
Engaging communities in cancer education and promoting structural changes that increase prevention and early detection.
Identifying and putting into effect best practices for public engagement, communication, and health literacy related to cancer risk, prevention, treatment, and survivorship that are tailored to community needs.
Ensuring that opportunities to participate in and benefit from research are widely available to all groups.
Applying ways to meaningfully return research results to study participants.

Take a moment to review the UNITED webpage on the NCI DCP ULACNet website which has access to prior session recordings and links to other resources.

We look forward to your participation in UNITED, to enhancing staff and community clinical trial education, and to fostering important relationships with all network stakeholders.