Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center

A community scientist is an advocate for the communities served by the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center, helping increase education and awareness of cancer research, build trust in research, and inform research design and ethics. They also help researchers better understand community‑identified needs, interests, and priorities. Community scientists can contribute in many ways depending on their interests and level of engagement. Through our monthly Community Scientist Workgroup, participants collaborate with researchers, receive support and mentorship, and have opportunities to work on a variety of projects. Community members interested in getting involved are encouraged to attend a Workgroup meeting to learn more. 

Community scientists play an active role in research by collaborating with individual researchers or research teams at varying levels of engagement. Their involvement may range from providing feedback on clinical trial recruitment materials, to helping develop community‑based research questions and hypotheses, to participating regularly in research team meetings to discuss project progress. They also contribute to modifying research protocols and ensuring community perspectives are incorporated through the Protocol Review Monitoring Committee.  

To support this work, community scientists receive training through the Community Scientist Program, which offers multiple levels of preparation. Training is provided through programs such as the Community Scientist Curriculum developed by the University of Florida and the DISRUPT Community Scientist Institute at The City College of New York. 

Send us an email, if you are interested in becoming a Community Scientist. 

A Community Care Model to Enhance Supportive Service to Women of Color (ACCESS Study): The ACCESS study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, was a partnership between Dr. Melissa Mazor and TCC Community Scientists Ms. Dolores Morehead and Chaplain Travis Thomas. The goal of ACCESS was to develop and evaluate a navigator delivered supportive care intervention to improve access to psychological, physical, social, and spiritual care and improve quality of life for women of color with advanced breast cancer. Importantly, ACCESS was developed in collaboration with the community over several phases.  
 
IMPACT-AS Study: The IMPACT study was led by Dr. Nihal Mohammed, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in partnership with Dr. Adam Gonzalez, a licensed clinical psychologist and the Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at Stony Brook University, and Mr. Jean Claude Noel, a TCC Community Scientist. The purpose of the IMPACT study was to adapt the Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) Program, a group-based intervention delivered through telehealth, for prostate cancer patients on active surveillance. The SMART Program tracked changes in anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life for study participants. Participants in the IMPACT study learned and practiced coping strategies to handle their symptoms, distress levels and unmet emotional support needs. This study was supported by a grant from the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center. 
 
2022 Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI) and Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA) Developmental Fund Pilot Award: Black and Latine individuals are underrepresented in early phase cancer clinical trials. Given the impacts of historical racism and structural marginalization, new methods that integrate culturally- and community-centered care are needed to address disparities in clinical trial enrollment. The goal of this project was to develop and evaluate a lay navigator-led education program for racially and ethnically underrepresented individuals enrolled in early phase clinical trials. This project was led Dr. Deborah Doroshow, Dr. Melissa Mazor, and Ms. Karen Peterson, a TCC Community Scientist and Founder and Chief Patient Advocate of Karen’s Club. This pilot study has now been expanded through the CHERC-MS grant awarded by the American Cancer Society.

View the Mount Sinai Cancer Health Research Center to learn more about our community-research collaborations.  

Program liaisons are dedicated representatives from Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center research programs who engage with community scientists to inform research, policy, strategy, and educational outreach programs.