Programs
The New York City Cancer Collaborative (NYCCC)
The New York City Cancer Collaborative (NYCCC) is a partnership of the offices of Community Outreach and Engagement from academic and hospital cancer centers and supporting organizations in New York City. Partners include:
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of Columbia University
- Mount Sinai
- Einstein/Montefiore
- NYU Langone
- Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Weill Cornell
- NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- New York City Community-based organizations
Members of the NYCCC work together to share data from their individual community health needs assessments and to share their strategies and materials on educational outreach with other members.
Manhattan Cancer Services Program (MCSP)
Directed by Karen Schmitt, the MCSP provides community and population-based education to address the importance of early detection, engages community organization to promote early cancer detection services to high need areas, enrolls uninsured individuals in free breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic services, and provides case management services. COE and the MCSP work together to refer community members to free or low-cost breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer screening services.
Contact: 212-851-4516
Community Educational Workshops
Our health educators provide cancer education workshops virtually and in-person at community organizations, faith-based organizations (churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, etc.) and at schools. We are present at community events and health fairs to inform the public about our programs and services.
Explore Our Webinars View Upcoming Events
YES in THE HEIGHTS
The YES in THE HEIGHTS program, formerly known as the Continuing Umbrella of Research Experience (CURE), at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center is a summer internship for high school and undergraduate students that aims to increase the pool of under-represented and under-resourced youth entering STEM fields.
Scientific Enrichment Month
The Scientific Enrichment Month Program, brought to you by YES in THE HEIGHTS at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), is a free virtual program for grades 6 to 12 and undergraduate students held in the summer. This month-long program takes place in July and focuses on cancer education, scientific enrichment, and professional development.
Youth Social Media Programs
HPV Vaccine
COE facilitates access to the HPV vaccination for girls and boys, which can prevent cervical and other HPV-related cancers in the future.
End HPV NYC- Teen Social Media Campaign: COE works with closely with doctors at HICCC and local teens to promote teen HPV vaccine education through social media channels. This group created a social media campaign focused on raising awareness of the HPV vaccine and HPV related cancers. They also launched a survivor storytelling series which is featured on their Instagram page.
Project Sun Safe Staten Island
Under the Cancer Prevention in Action grant from NY Staten Department of Health and Health Research, Inc., COE facilitates a student-run communication campaign about reducing skin cancer risk among teens. Students create Instagram posts informing their peers about sun safety, using shade, avoiding indoor tanning, and using sunscreen when outdoors. COE has partnered with high schools in Staten Island through Project Sun Safe members to present skin cancer risk reduction at in-person assemblies and set up sun safety policies.
DISRUPT
DISRUPT is a project aimed at addressing the lack of diversity in cancer clinical trials. DISRUPT is working to improve representation of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, People of Color, people with health conditions and impairments, and LGBTQ+ persons in clinical trials by “disrupting” norms at the community, patient and provider, and research pipeline levels. DISRUPT was selected by Stand Up To Cancer (Su2C) as part of its Health Equity Initiative. It brings together multidisciplinary teams from four New York City institutions: Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), Mount Sinai’s Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI), Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC) and The City College of New York (CCNY). These cancer centers are charged with reducing cancer disparities that affect approximately two million people residing in some of the most diverse and underserved communities in the United States.
Cancer Prevention in Action (CPiA)
COE was awarded a grant called Cancer Prevention in Action (CPiA) for the area of Staten Island, funded by the NY State Department of Health and Health Research, Inc. COE works with key partners Dr. Ginny Mantello (Staten Island Borough President’s Office) and Dr. Ana Mendez (Richmond University Medical Center) to facilitate the adoption of sun safety policies at community organizations throughout Staten Island. These policies introduce free sunscreen, shade, signage, and training to new spaces. CPiA also works closely with Staten Island high schools to bring skin cancer risk reduction information to teens and involves them in a student-led social media communications campaign called Project Sun Safe Staten Island. Lastly, CPiA has maintained a presence at community events and held their own events to educate the public, healthcare providers, pharmacists, federally qualified and school-based health centers, and community leaders about the cancer-preventing HPV vaccination and skin cancer risk reduction.
Contact: Maya Lipsman, Project Director of CPiA Staten Island, ml4082@cumc.columbia.edu
COMMUNITY Center
The Center to Improve Chronic disease Outcomes through Multi-level and Multigenerational approaches Unifying Novel Interventions and Training for health EquitY
The COMMUNITY Center brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians and community partners to reduce health disparities in multiple chronic diseases throughout New York City. This Center offers resources and support for community organizations and early-stage investigators, and hosts seminars and workshops on health equity and chronic disease. Current research projects focus on cancer, cardiovascular disease and related risk factors. Our partnering institutions include:
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health
- Hunter College- City University of New York
- Physician Affiliate Group of New York
- Weill Cornell Medical Center
- A network of community partners committed to health equity and community wellness.
COMMUNITY Center is funded by the National Institutes on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Contact: Nicole Bayne, nab2199@cumc.columbia.edu
SOCA
The mission of the Center for Social Capital (SoCa) is to reduce cancer health inequities in persistent poverty census tracts throughout NYC by promoting multi-generational health and increasing workforce diversity through educational programs for youth and training programs for fellows, research coordinators, and faculty. More specifically, SoCa will test, disseminate, and sustain interventions that incorporate multiple levels of influence from an individual, interpersonal, community, and societal approaches in PPAs prioritized in the South Bronx, Washington Heights, North-Central Brooklyn, and Western Queens. Our Projects are directly responsive to community priorities and have been identified through strong collaborations between our research teams and community stakeholders. The Center unites a large NYC based health system (the New York Presbyterian Hospital System (NYP) which has two medical centers with cancer centers– Cornell University (CU) and Columbia University Medical Center (CUIMC), Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), representatives from the NYC Departments of Education and Health, the NYP Dalio Center for Health Justice, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and numerous community-based organizations.
Moonshot Initiative: Refuah Health
As part of President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative, HICCC’s partner, Refuah Health (a federally qualified health center) was granted an award called accelerating Cancer Screening. The goal of this award is to enhance access to vital cancer screenings and early detection services for underserved communities. HICCC will work with Refuah Health during the two-year award to establish a culturally sensitive outreach team and patient navigation system. The team will focus on facilitating access to screening services and early cancer detection as well as offering support to access high-quality cancer care for the underserved population in Rockland County. Refuah Health plans to provide colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer screening services through a mobile cancer screening clinic, with the aim of reaching more than 14,300 individuals in 2023. This initiative addresses the impact of missed cancer screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic and contributes to closing the gap in cancer screening and prevention.