What We Do
Huntsman Cancer Institute's Office of Community Outreach and Engagement team collaborates with community partners, clinicians, researchers, elected officials, cancer patients, advocates, and students, among others, to address the unique cancer-related challenges in the Mountain West—a region that includes Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
The Community Outreach and Engagement team works collaboratively to ensure that community perspectives inform research, clinical care, education, and institutional policies. Our approach is rooted in partnership, strengthening collaboration with community partners to expand prevention and early detection efforts, while also building internal capacity to engage effectively with all populations in the Mountain West. Our work is guided by the following aims:
- To define, characterize, and prioritize the cancer control needs of the people in the Mountain West.
- To deliver evidence-based cancer prevention and control programs and improve capacity for bidirectional community-engaged practices including access to clinical trials and other research studies.
- To facilitate strategic research and evidence-based implementation to address priority cancer prevention and control needs in the Mountain West.
Here's how our work is making a difference:
Monitoring the Catchment Area
Our team monitors the cancer burden across the Mountain West through the System for Health Assessment and Population Evaluation (SHAPE), a comprehensive data and measurement infrastructure that integrates population- and patient-level data with primary data collection and advanced data science methods. We review regional cancer data, community feedback, and program outcomes to understand community needs, identify disparities, and guide outreach, research, and care efforts to better serve the people and communities in the Mountain West.
Building Community Partnerships
We create and foster mutually beneficial partnerships with community-based organizations to ensure we serve and meet the needs of individuals and populations affected by cancer. This also includes convening partners via the Community Advisory Board, Patient Advisory Council, Mountain West Cancer Collaborative, and the HPV Vaccination Coalition.
Improving Access to Care
We increase access to essential cancer services through operating mobile cancer screening, utilizing telemedicine, affiliating with community hospitals, and collaborations with health systems and primary care networks, working to eliminate barriers such as geographic distance and socioeconomic challenges.
Facilitating Research
We lead and facilitate community-engaged research, a collaborative model where researchers and community members work as equal partners to address community-identified needs across the cancer spectrum—such as risk, prevention, screening, and management of healthy behaviors. We also work with researchers from all Cancer Center programs to align priorities and expand scientific impact.
These programs are organized as part of a federally funded grant (NIH/NCI P30CA042014) in alignment with the requirements of our National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant accreditation.
Who We Are
Our team is comprised more than two dozen Community Outreach and Engagement professionals dedicating to serving the residents of the Mountain West.
- Leadership: Provide strategic direction, staff oversight, and ensure that all programs and initiatives align with organizational goals.
- Program Managers: Oversee development, execution, and evaluation of cancer prevention and early detection programs, and build and sustain community partnerships at all levels.
- Community Health educators: Provide bilingual (English and Spanish) education and outreach to improve health behaviors and connect individuals to community resources.
- Administrative Staff: Ensure smooth operation of all programs and logistics, including supporting travel, data entry, and reports.
- Patient Navigators: Guide cancer patients across the healthcare system, offer support and education, and connect to clinical and community resources.
- Mobile Screening Technicians: Provide breast cancer screening services on mobile screening clinics, providing timely care and patient education.
- Research Scientists: Conduct community-engaged research studies in collaboration with community partners to gain deeper insights into community needs and enhance outcomes across the cancer continuum.
“We view the area we serve with a deep sense of responsibility. We are committed to designing, implementing, and delivering strategies to reduce the burden of cancer across the Mountain West.”
Who We Serve
Huntsman Cancer Institute serves the Mountain West, an area includes Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. With a population of more than 10 million people–including 43 federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes–Huntsman Cancer Institute serves the largest geographic land area by any National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.
The Mountain West includes unique characteristics:
- Expansive Landscape: The Mountain West is a 524,000-square-mile region, covering 17% of the continental U.S. landmass. It comprises 169 counties across 5 states, with ~85% of counties designated as rural and frontier. More than 30% of cancer patients travel >150 miles to receive care at Huntsman Cancer Institute, propelling us to implement innovating strategies to address distance as a barrier.
- Culture and Demographics: The Mountain West has some of the largest American Indian/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities; and a rapidly growing Hispanic/Latino community. Nearly 25% of people are under the age of 18.
- Rapid Population Growth: Idaho, Nevada, and Utah all rank among the top five fastest growing states in the country.
- Cancer burden: In 2026, it is expected that more than 57,520 individuals in the Mountain West will be diagnosed with cancer. The following cancers consistently rank among the top five in incidence and/or mortality across all states in the Mountain West: breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, melanoma, and pancreatic.
The Community Outreach and Engagement team partners with departments of health and state cancer coalitions across the region by providing expertise, collaborative spaces, and data to support the development and implementation of state Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans. Team members serve in state coalition leadership roles, aligning state and regional priorities.
“Our teams are devoted to community, near and far, and are passionate about collaborating to improve the health of all Mountain West residents.”
Our Programs, Services, and Activities
We actively cultivate partnerships with a wide range of local, state, regional, and Native-serving organizations to advance cancer education, prevention, screening, policy, clinical care, and research initiatives. These strategic collaborations help ensure that our programs reach all communities, including those who live in rural and frontier areas, and populations facing socioeconomic and geographic barriers to education, cancer screening, treatment, and research participation. We continuously seek to strengthen relationships with various types of organizations to expand our reach and impact across the Mountain West.
Community Health Events
We attend events to educate, provide materials, and connect participants to resources. All services are free and available in English and Spanish. To request our participation, please fill out the health event request form.
Community Presentations
We present to groups on cancer risk, prevention, screening, clinical trials, and many other topics. All presentations are free, available in English and Spanish, and can be tailored to meet your needs. To request a presentation, please fill out the presentation request form.
Community Cancer Screening
We bring the latest breast cancer screening technology to Utah residents, in distant and rural communities, as well as underserved urban areas. Community clinics, employers, community organizations, and others can schedule visits to increase access to mammography screening.
Community Advisory Board
We work with a board of partners from the Mountain West to engage the community in cancer research, clinical care, screening and prevention, and education efforts. The board also helps identify opportunities to improve community health and inform priorities.
Mountain West Cancer Collaborative
The Mountain West Cancer Collaborative is a network convened by Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement and consists of cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and community, public health, and system professionals working and/or living in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
American Indian Program
We work with American Indian Tribes and Nations across the Mountain West to bring education, services, and resources to individuals, families, and communities. We engage Tribes in research projects and help navigate patients who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Clinical Trials and Research Studies
We educate individuals and communities on clinical trials and research studies, working in collaboration with the Clinical Trials and Population Sciences Trial Offices. We also help build trust in communities and work to offer trials that reflect the different communities of the Mountain West.
Internship and Training Opportunities
We provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in Community Outreach and Engagement. Interns are selected three times a year and work with mentors across activities that aim to improve the health of individuals and communities.
Patient Navigation
We identify and engage with cancer patients and families to help navigate the complex health system, connect to internal and community resources, and access life-saving treatment, among other services.
Our Collaborations
Center for HOPE
We serve as a bridge to bring together researchers and community organizations from the Mountain West to create long-term solution to prevent cancer and chronic disease and improve community health through implementation sciences.
Clinical Affiliates Hospitals
We extend comprehensive cancer care through the Mountain West, partnering with affiliate hospitals in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming to provide world-class cancer care to patients near their homes.
Mountain West HPV Vaccination Coalition
We bring together immunization program representatives, cancer researchers, public health experts, pediatricians, primary care specialists, and community members, to improve human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates across the Mountain West.