Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR)

The Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR), an institutional research resource at MD Anderson, brings communities and researchers together to create long-term solutions to prevent cancer and improve health. By helping MD Anderson investigators implement their research in community settings and increasing the recruitment and retention of minorities and women to clinical trials at MD Anderson, CCETR translates MD Anderson’s scientific
discoveries into real-world interventions and programs. 

CCETR partners with researchers and community collaborators to translate MD Anderson
scientific discoveries into long-lasting real-world interventions and programs by:

• Facilitating research collaborations with diverse community partners that serve populations at higher risk for cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality. Partners include provider organizations at the national, regional, and local levels, such as physician organizations, minority service organizations, Federally Qualified Community Health Centers, and public health systems.  
• Assisting with grant development and protocol design specific to community-based research.
• Developing and implementing strategies to disseminate interventions and research findings
  in the community.    
• Identifying and disseminating funding opportunities specific to the implementation and dissemination of community-based research.        
• Providing public and hospital patient data to support grant development and protocol design for optimal patient participation in clinical trials.
• Assisting with grant writing, recruitment planning and implementation, and other targeted interventions to increase the participation of women and minorities in clinical trials.

Sustaining and fostering community partnerships require the identification of shared priorities and the provision of valued services for the community. CCETR offers the following services to community partners:      

• Coalition building     
• Strategic planning   
• Program development      
• Grant writing and program evaluation assistance
• Up-to-date information on innovative and effective cancer prevention and treatment methods.

Past Collaborations include: 

• Clinical and behavioral research departments across the institution
• MD Anderson Oncology Program at Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Hospital
• Diverse organizations throughout Houston, the region, state and U.S., including minority health organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), faith-based organizations, cancer survivorship and advocacy organizations and more