Future Directions:
Progress and Opportunities
At the end of 2022, DCCPS announced six future directions to dramatically accelerate the impact of our research: health equity, data strategies, evidence-based cancer control policy research, digital health interventions, modifiable risk factors, and climate change. These six research areas—identified through input from our research community, both within and outside the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—augment rather than replace the broad spectrum of research we champion across the division.
In the past year since we announced these future directions, the division staff have been working purposefully to advance the science in each of these areas, in collaboration with the extramural cancer control community and colleagues across government.
Below, we highlight some selected examples of progress, as well as areas of opportunity for the future. DCCPS looks forward to collaborating with National Cancer Institute (NCI) scientists, federal partners, international groups, and professional and advocacy organizations to collectively increase our knowledge and impact in each of these critical areas.
-
Health Equity
Promote cancer control research that leads to equitable and optimal health outcomes for all populations
-
Data Strategies
Develop innovative strategies to efficiently and ethically collect, analyze, share, and reuse data to fill information gaps and accelerate research that will reduce the cancer burden
-
Evidence-based Cancer Control Policy Research
Evaluate existing policies and inform future policies that impact optimal approaches for cancer prevention, control, care, and outcomes
-
Digital Health
Expand and enhance digital health research to develop and test the efficacy and effectiveness of technology-based interventions that support cancer prevention and control
-
Modifiable Risk Factors
Identify and intervene upon modifiable risk factors, alone and in combination, to prevent cancer across the life course, and among cancer survivors, to improve treatment response and health outcomes
-
Climate Change
Expand and enhance cancer research to understand and mitigate the effects of environmental risk factors and disruptions to care resulting from climate change
Continue To