A Healthier Wisconsin
AHWWebImage_ParentPage_WhatWeDo.jpg

Collaborative Work Groups to Reduce Wisconsin’s Breast and Lung Cancer Disparities

Collaborating with diverse groups to understand diagnosis disparities to strategize solutions

Full Project Name:Collaborative Work Groups to Reduce Wisconsin’s Breast and Lung Cancer Disparities: Phase OnePrimary Community Organization:Center for Urban Population HealthPrincipal Investigator:Staci A Young, PhD, Family and Community MedicineAward Amount:$3,583,284
Award Date
July2021
Project Duration:24 months

Project Description Narrative:


Cancer is the leading cause of death in Wisconsin and is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths each year. Further, cancer incidence, late-stage diagnosis, and mortality are not equally distributed among residents. While Wisconsin continues to advance in health equity, there are disparities in diagnosis in the Native American and African American communities - particularly with breast and lung cancer. Disparities are multi-faceted issues that include individual biological factors, socio-cultural, political environment, and physical factors. To effectively address these complex factors requires a collaborative work group involving diverse investigators from community organizations and educational institutions. Phase one of this two-part project focuses on building work groups for optimal collaboration.

Through this award, a transdisciplinary group will work together to build a deeper understanding of solutions to reduce cancer diagnosis disparities. Collaboration of diverse groups will encourage fresh ideas by learning from each other and collectively creating and developing new approaches for a solution.

Project Updates:


  • Developed infrastructure to support development and implementation of transdisciplinary collaborative work groups (CWG), including hiring project staff, developing relationships between the project Co-PIs and community champions, and identifying specific counties and tribal areas for each community champion partner to focus on for outreach
  • Planned a series of community outreach events to promote the initiative and recruit CWG members

AHW Logo

8701 W Watertown Plank Road,
Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509
(414) 955-4350

©2021 MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | MCW.EDU | TERMS & PRIVACY | NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE

top