OCHECE receives supplemental award for sexual orientation and gender identity community research

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The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Health Equity & Community Engagement (OCHECE) supplemental funding to the P30 Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), also known as the Core Grant*. The $150,000 award will support the “Enhancing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Data Collection” project led by OCHECE.

“SOGI stands for sexual orientation and gender identity. It is important to have a systematic and accurate collection of SOGI data because it gives healthcare systems the enhanced ability to monitor and identify disparities in cancer incidence and mortality for LGBTQIA patients, as well as the quality of care provided for this group of patients,” said Brittany Dowe, MPH, director of OCHECE. “This additional funding is important to help strengthen the standardization across Karmanos Cancer Institute’s 16 locations for collection of SOGI data.”

OCHECE has partnered with LGBT Detroit, Corktown Health and the National LGBT Cancer Network for the SOGI project. The project has four goals:

  1. Identify oncology provider-level and patient-level barriers to the collection of SOGI data
  2. Develop and conduct training for oncology providers and staff on rationale and strategies for collecting the data
  3. Develop and implement a campaign to increase patient awareness and knowledge of SOGI data collection
  4. Implement and evaluate the data through both paper-based forms and electronic medical records throughout the Karmanos Cancer Network sites within McLaren Health Care.

OCHECE leads Karmanos’ community outreach and engagement efforts across the 46 Michigan counties the network serves. The organization creates opportunities for diverse community members and organizations to engage in discussion, research and strategy with Karmanos and Wayne State University researchers, scientists and physicians. The goal is to reduce the cancer burden and improve cancer outcomes across all populations.

 

Learn more about OCHECE and the office’s upcoming events here.

 

*The P30 grant, awarded by the NCI, supports enhancing multidisciplinary approaches and collaborative research efforts in treating cancer. The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is among just 53 comprehensive cancer centers across the country awarded by the NCI.