Aug 22, 2022 10:00 AM

Read Time: 2 minutes

Author: Garrett Harding


Nathaniel Ferre
Nathaniel Ferre

Huntsman Cancer Institute community health educator Nathaniel Ferre has been appointed to the National Cancer Institute Council of Research Advocates (NCRA), a prominent advisory group within the National Institutes of Health.

The NCRA was established in 1998 to provide advice and recommendations to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) director. The committee conducts activities to identify new approaches, promote innovation, recognize unforeseen risks or barriers, and identify unintended consequences that would result from NCI decisions or actions. NCRA members are selected for their expert knowledge of cancer research and policy, as well as their ability to represent a broad patient perspective.

nathaniel standing in front of the stansbury clinic
Nathaniel Ferre at the Stansbury Health Center in Tooele, Utah

In addition to being a community health educator, Ferre is also a program administrator and member of Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Community Outreach and Engagement team. He leads the NCI-funded Screen to Save initiative, which aims to improve colorectal cancer education and screening rates in rural areas. He also works to address disparities in clinical trial participation through a bilingual English and Spanish virtual education module that helps patients find open, ongoing opportunities.

“I am honored to accept this invitation from the NCI,” says Ferre. “I look forward to serving in this role to continue to advocate for research at the national level, with particular focus that aims to to eliminate barriers that rural and frontier cancer patients experience in the Mountain West and across the nation.”

Ferre was appointed to this position by the NCI director and will serve a four-year term.

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Heather Simonsen
Public Relations – Huntsman Cancer Institute
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About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah is the official cancer center of Utah and the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West. The campus includes a state-of-the-art cancer specialty hospital, and two buildings dedicated to cancer research. HCI provides patient care, cancer screening, and education at community clinics and affiliate hospitals throughout the Mountain West. HCI is consistently recognized among the best cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The region’s first proton therapy center opened in 2021 and a major hospital expansion is underway. HCI is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for staff, students, patients, and communities. Advancing cancer research discoveries and treatments to meet the needs of patients who live far away from a major medical center is a unique focus. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at HCI than at any other cancer center, including genes responsible for breast, ovarian, colon, head and neck cancers, and melanoma. HCI was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.

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