What We Do
The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement aligns with the mission, vision, and principles of Huntsman Cancer Institute. Our team includes faculty and staff who collaborate with clinicians, researchers, students, and community partners to address the burden of cancer in the Mountain West.
Health equity is at the forefront of all we do. Our work is made possible by ongoing collaboration and communication between Huntsman Cancer Institute and community partners:
- We build mutually beneficial partnerships with community-based organization and the populations we serve, including those who have been disproportionately affected by cancer.
- We work to improve knowledge and awareness of cancer risk factors, prevention, screening, treatment, and enrollment in clinical trials.
- We create awareness campaigns and share accurate and tailored education through health events, presentations, social media, news outlets, and other venues to reach community members.
- We aim to eliminate barriers and increase access to care through mobile cancer screening, telemedicine, and partnerships with health systems and primary care associations.
- We study population health and bring community organizations together to create long-term solutions to prevent cancer and improve health equity.
Community Outreach & Engagement Team
Garrett Harding
Associate Director
Phyllis Pettit Nassi, MSW
Associate Director
Kristina Kraenbuhl
Administrative Manager
Allison Foust, MHA, MCHES
Programs Manager
Jill Christian, MPH
Programs Manager
Catherine M. Gavile, PhD
Research Scientist
Nathan Begaye
Program Coordinator
Belem Holguin-Macias
Community Health Educator
Gabriela Silva, CHES
Community Health Educator
“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.”
The Area We Serve
Huntsman Cancer Institute serves the Mountain West, a vast, 524,000-square-mile region covering 17% of the continental U.S. land mass. This area includes all of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a population of nearly 10 million people, Huntsman Cancer Institute serves the largest land area by any National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.
One of the core activities of Community Outreach and Engagement is to monitor the cancer burden, risk factors, incidence, mortality, morbidity, and inequities in the Mountain West using a data-driven approach.
The Mountain West includes unique characteristics:
- It is made up of a total of 169 counties, 158 of which are rural (<100 people per square mile) or frontier (<7 people per square mile).
- Utah, Idaho, and Nevada all ranked among the top five fastest growing states.
- It is home to some of the nation’s largest American Indian/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities and a growing Hispanic/Latino population.
- More than 52,290 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2023.
- Approximately 15,900 individuals are expected to die of cancer in 2023.
We work closely with comprehensive cancer control programs and cancer coalitions in the Mountain West. Each state creates a State Cancer Plan, which identifies how each coalition addresses the burden of cancer in its state.
Community Partnership
We collaborate and foster bidirectional partnerships with local, state, and regional organizations to engage in activities and projects that cover cancer education, prevention, screening, policy, clinical care, and research.
Bidirectional collaboration enables our programs to reach racially and ethnically diverse groups, those who live in rural and frontier areas, and those who experience socioeconomic and geographic barriers to education, cancer screening services, treatment, and research. We are always looking to form and build relationships with many types of organizations:
- Businesses
- Coalitions and alliances
- Community-based organizations
- Faith-based organizations
- Hospitals and health care systems
- Nonprofit organizations
- Schools, colleges, and universities
“Our teams are devoted to community, near and far, and are passionate about collaborating to improve the health of all Mountain West residents.”
Programs, Services, and Activities
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.
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.
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.
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 diversity 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.
Mobile Breast 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.
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.
Collaborators
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 health equity 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.