Charles Atkin, PhD

Our goal at Michigan State is to utilize the technology and resources we have available to us to get this valuable information on breast cancer risks and prevention to the public. Early detection, assessing risks, etc., represent vital information, and we need to find a way for all people affected, women and children of all ages and backgrounds, to be able to access this information and understand it.

Purpose of Community Outreach and Translation Core

The Michigan State University Community Outreach and Translation Core (COTC) is comprised of community advocates and faculty members from the Department of Communication. The COTC is responsible for the transmittal of the information, based on the state of the science evidence, into the community at large. The major rationale behind this study is, of course, to minimize the risk of breast cancer in women, and, as such, information on prevention must be distributed to communities and populations of women and girls.

Examples:

• An educational and fundraising program entitled Meal Patterning for Breast Health, was organized and implemented by community advocates in coalition with other university and community sponsors.
• We have conducted ten focus groups across four counties in Michigan to gain an understanding of adolescent and adult females’ perceptions and understanding of breast cancer and the environment (see paper abstract).
• We are currently piloting a random phone survey across Michigan to further our formative research and conducting a content analysis to investigate news coverage of breast cancer across the country. This information will help us to develop tailored health messages to target audiences, particularly adolescent females.
• This website explains our activities as well as provides another source for breast cancer information.

How the COTC Functions:

• The Community Outreach and Translation Core for the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center will be centered in the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
• Materials will be created by the COTC at Michigan State University and utilized as means to distribute the information, with the website being perhaps the biggest undertaking.
• Audience needs will be assessed by Communication specialists from MSU and messages will be constructed using the information gained from focus groups, content analyses, and so on.
• Materials will be designed to increase public access to the most current and accurate information about the risks of environmental stressors and the most effective ways to reduce these risks.