Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

Partner In Research

Contact Us at 833-722-6237

Contact Us at 833-722-6237

There are two ways to partner in research with Simmons Cancer Center. You can serve as a research advocate, offering your perspective to improve community engagement in cancer research. Or you can apply for a grant that pairs your organization with Simmons researchers to solve a pressing cancer problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Become a Research Advocate

Our research advocates are a group of volunteers who bring the community’s perspective to cancer research. They help UT Southwestern scientists design studies that are sensitive to the patient experience, including cultural needs. Advocates also help our researchers share their discoveries in ways that are meaningful to the community and foster trust.

Specific research advocate duties include:

  • Attending periodic trainings on cancer research and advocacy
  • Giving feedback to researchers on grant proposals or study design and implementation
  • Offering suggestions on how to remove barriers to study participation and increase participation among a range of participants
  • Writing letters of support for researchers who are applying for grants
  • Providing input on informed consent documents
  • Developing patient education materials
  • Sharing research findings with community members
  • Raising public awareness of cancer clinical trials
  • Promoting Simmons’ Research Advocacy Program to UT Southwestern faculty and staff

If you are a cancer patient, former patient, family member, caregiver, or concerned community member interested in becoming a research advocate, please contact the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at OfficeofCOE@utsouthwestern.edu or call 833-722-6237.

Apply for a Community-Engaged Research Grant

Simmons Cancer Center periodically awards grants in community-engaged research. In this type of research, Simmons faculty members are paired with community organizations in shared efforts to reduce cancer rates among at-risk populations.

Awards include up to $100,000, delivered over an 18-month period, for basic/laboratory, translational, clinical, or population research focused on:

  • Cancers occurring most frequently and/or causing the highest death rates in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
  • Cancers affecting some groups of people more than others because of social, environmental, and/or economic disadvantages

Types of Research

  • Basic research studies how cancer develops and progresses in people.
  • Translational research moves new treatments from the laboratory to the clinic and takes observations from the clinic to design new treatments in the laboratory.
  • Clinical research uses data from people to find new and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat cancer.
  • Population research seeks to understand factors that impact health and cause cancer in various populations and to determine the best strategies for preventing cancer, detecting it early, and improving the patient experience.

Projects may relate to any aspect of the cancer care continuum − from prevention and screening to treatment and survivorship. However, proposals must reflect community input and/or involvement in project design, implementation, analysis, communication of findings, and recommendations for future study.

Simmons welcomes organizations of all types as research collaborators. We consider faith-based organizations, clinics and health care systems, for-profit businesses, nonprofit entities, schools, neighborhood centers, and chambers of commerce as potential partners.

For more information on community-engaged research opportunities at Simmons Cancer Center, please email OfficeofCOE@utsouthwestern.edu or call 833-722-6237.

Meet the UT Southwestern researchers and community partners who’ve received Simmons Cancer Center pilot grants:

UTSW cardio-oncologist Vlad Zaha, M.D., and medical anthropologist Carolyn Smith-Morris, Ph.D., collaborated with the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Breast Cancer Survivor Support Group and the 50 Hoops prostate cancer advocacy organization on a study aimed at improving heart health and survivorship among groups of people experiencing cancer disparities. Together, the teams designed and validated a culturally sensitive outreach survey to assess (a) survivor awareness of cardiovascular risks, (b) engagement in preventive health checkups, and (c) preferences for health education. Findings are being used to create a targeted, engaging outreach survey that can be tested on a larger scale through long-term academic-community partnerships.

Kelseanna Hollis-Hansen, Ph.D., an adjunct assistant professor in UTSW’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, worked with Crossroads Community Services to assess three evidence-based programs for improving food security and health outcomes among food-insecure cancer patients. The study focused on patients receiving treatment at Simmons Cancer Center’s RedBird infusion clinic, and Crossroads’ food pantry was integral to each intervention tested. Results of the research have informed the design of an effective, large-scale food security program.

Noting the challenges of coordinating comprehensive care for cancer patients with multiple chronic health conditions, UTSW family medicine physician Rebecca Eary, D.O., partnered with Foremost Family Health Centers to find ways to improve the process. To do this, the study collaborators met with primary care and oncology health system providers at Foremost’s federally qualified health clinics. They also talked with patients from South Dallas who sought cancer care as well as care for multiple chronic health conditions. Findings from their research laid the groundwork for a new patient-centered care delivery model to be tested on a larger scale.

Staff and clients from The Senior Source teamed up with UTSW scientists Tim Hogan, Ph.D., and Robin Higashi, Ph.D., to explore the best ways of delivering COVID-era telehealth to older adult cancer patients with various technology needs and preferences. Their joint research effort revealed several offerings that could enhance telehealth delivery for older patients, including tutorials and practice sessions as well as navigators to help with technical difficulties. The project also set the stage for further research into improved telehealth delivery for diverse populations.

Connect with the Cancer Center

An older man hugs a young child warmly.

Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

We are the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas.

Learn More

Woman on phone.

Questions about Cancer?

Our Cancer Answer Line is free, confidential, and available to anyone seeking information about cancer or cancer-related resources.

Ask Now

Two researchers examining lab samples.

Make a Gift

Your support enables us to advance promising new research and treatment programs that will improve the quality of life for all and impact the state of cancer knowledge and care. 

Donate Now