Community Outreach and Engagement

The COE Coordinating Committee was established by the COE Assistant Directors as a 25-person coordination council that optimizes alignment and engagement for all COE activities across the St. Jude and communities. The COE Coordinating Committee consists of the COE leadership team, St. Jude leadership, SJCCC Research program leaders, and patient family advisor representatives.

The COE Coordinate Committee meets monthly and focuses on updates from COE programs and activities, including engagement activities with communities served, the catchment area, and Research Programs. 

Patients come to St. Jude via one of three mechanisms: 1) Patients who reside within the 180-mile catchment area radius around St. Jude in Memphis 2) Patients who reside in the 100-mile area of one of our eight affiliates 3) Patients who live outside of the catchment area who are referred for an open interventional treatment trial or for a unique clinical service not otherwise available to them.

The St Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center catchment area spans across a portion of 16 states in the United States comprising nearly 35 million people and with nearly 8 million children. St. Jude cancer reach extends beyond the catchment area. Globally, St. Jude partners with ~400 centers in more than 80 countries.

SJCCC’s Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) prioritizes the health and well-being of the communities within its catchment area, extending its impact across the United States and globally through initiatives in more than 80 countries. Within this expansive geographic area, SJCCC COE focuses on empowering three primary communities:

• Children with cancer – providing comprehensive and tailored education and resources to meet their unique needs during treatment and recovery.
• Children who have survived cancer – addressing long-term survivorship challenges and equipping them with education for sustained health and wellness.
• All children in the catchment area – promoting cancer prevention and education to foster healthier communities and reduce cancer risk.

Through these efforts, SJCCC remains committed to building equitable access to education, prevention strategies, and care, ensuring that the communities it serves are at the center of every initiative.

The COE has two primary Community Advisory Boards (CABs) aligned with communities served by St. Jude (i.e. children with cancer, childhood cancer survivors, all children in catchment area). The St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center Subcommittee of the Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is the Patient Family CAB and is the primary CAB for children with cancer and children who have survived cancer. Members have unique lived experiences and insight to guide research and programming to meet the needs of childhood cancer patients and survivors through COE efforts. The Child Health and Wellness Advisory Council (Child Health CAB) is the primary CAB for all children in the catchment area to promote cancer prevention and provide cancer education.

Comprehensive Cancer Center Subcommittee of the PFAC (Patient Family CAB): The Patient Family CAB was formed in Fall 2023 to establish a direct link between patient family advisors with lived experiences related to childhood cancer and St. Jude. The Patient Family CAB consists of patient family advisors connected to the journey of childhood cancer from the catchment area, US, and globally.

This group serves as the primary CAB for patient families, ensuring that the voices and perspectives of patient family advisors are integrated into all ST. JUDE research and programmatic activities. Through meetings and annual retreats, the Patient Family CAB offers a wide range of insights and guidance. By fostering collaboration between Research Programs and those who have firsthand experience with childhood cancer, the Patient Family CAB shapes programming, policies, and practices that truly reflect the needs and desires of patients and their families.

Child Health and Wellness Advisory Council (Child Health CAB): The COE formed the Child Health CAB in 2021 to meaningfully engage catchment area, US, and global experts to provide advice and guidance on identifying, prioritizing, and effectively addressing the needs of all children within the catchment area and beyond. The council is composed of members who are distinguished leaders in pediatrics, childhood wellness, patient education, HPV vaccination, and parenthood. Members meet quarterly to offer feedback and support on activities related to the HPV and STEMM programs and on the content of the Together by St. Jude online educational resource that focuses on child health and activities of St. Jude Global relevant to overall child health.

Collaboration between research program members and patient family advisors is essential to fostering a meaningful and impactful research environment. By creating spaces that enable open engagement between researchers and communities, the SJCCC COE establishes a culture of trust, mutual understanding, and shared idea generation. These collaborations not only enhance the relevance of research efforts but also ensure that the outcomes are aligned with the needs and priorities of the communities served.

The SJCCC COE has significantly expanded its facilitation of research collaborations. This approach has led to deeper, more productive interactions between researchers and patient family advisors, generating insights that inform and enrich the research process. By prioritizing these partnerships, SJCCC is laying the groundwork for sustained, meaningful engagement that drives innovative and community-centered solutions in cancer prevention, education, and care.