A Blueprint for Linking Academic Oncology and the Community

Abstract

The processes by which academic medicine will train the next generation of physicians and develop new knowledge have brought to the forefront the relationship between academic medical centers and community hospitals and practitioners. Over the past thirteen years, the Harvard Medical School Joint Center for Radiation Therapy (JCRT) has developed an integrated radiation oncology program designed to serve simultaneously the needs of the community, teaching hospitals, medical schools, and faculty. The structure and function of this program are described here, as are the challenges posed by the highly competitive health care marketplace. We believe that long-term vision should guide short-term goals. The success of academic-community collaborative programs depends not only on the good will and vision of the participants but also on the medical administration, academic leadership, policy makers, and politicians who define the principles and rules by which cooperation within the health care industry occurs.

The International Cancer Expert Corps: A Unique Approach for Sustainable Cancer Care in Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries

“…The current value system in healthcare would be modified by providing time and academic recognition for this type of activity to further emphasize values of social responsibility and service. Allocating time and establishing a new value and reward system for altruistic service may have positive ramifications on mitigating spiraling healthcare expenditures ( 13 , 27 ).…”

“…The development of the model for ICEC is the result of decades of experience of a number of the authors from working in the underserved communities in the U.S. and globally. Examples include the PACT ( 7 ) and INCTR ( 12 ) programs mentioned above, the Harvard community outreach program in Massachusetts ( 13 ), the Cancer Disparities Research Partnership Program of the National Cancer Institute ( 14 ), the Walking Forward Program in South Dakota ( 15 ), experience in breast cancer care in Bangladesh ( 16 ), and the establishment of King Hussein Cancer Center Program as a major cancer program through shared expertise between Jordan and the NCI ( 17 ). The recent emphasis on non-communicable disease burden in global health ( 1 , 2 ) led to recognition of the need for innovative approaches to healthcare.…”

The Radiation Stress Response: Of the People, By the People and For the People

“…While at Harvard, we created a novel model for linking academia with the community to deliver cancer care (72) and while at NCI we have established programs to reach underserved populations, an excellent example being that for American Indians in South Dakota by Dr. Petereit and colleagues from the Lakota Sioux tribe (73). Over the last few years there has been a substantial increase in addressing the shortfalls in global health (74) with the rapidly rising burden of NCD's in LMICs recognized in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly (75).…”