April 1, 2013
Despite the steady overall decline in cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States, disparities in cancer burdens continue to exist among certain population groups. Such disparities include differences in incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions, beyond what would be expected under equitable circumstances that exist among specific population groups (which may be characterized by gender, age, race/ethnicity, income, social class, disability, geographic location or sexual orientation) in the US. The American Cancer Society (ACS) is committed to reducing cancer health disparities and has created strategic priorities for eliminating such disparities through research, education, advocacy and service. The ACS has set as a Nationwide Objective the goal of eliminating disparities in cancer burdens by 2015.
Towards this goal, the Extramural Research and Training Grants (EG) Department has made the reduction of cancer health disparities a priority area of focus for the Cancer Control and Prevention Research Program with a call for applications in psychosocial and behavioral research and in health policy and health services research that address cancer health disparities. Within the Cancer Control and Prevention Research Program (one of five research programs in the EG department), meritorious applications focusing on disparity reduction will be funded prior to meritorious applications focusing on other areas in cancer control and prevention research. In order to qualify for the Priority Program, the application must explicitly demonstrate its relevance to cancer disparities and specify how the results of the proposed study can be used to reduce disparities.