Grant Number:	5U54CA280812-04 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Wetter, David
Organization:	Utah State Higher Education System--University Of Utah
Project Title:	Multi-Sector, Multi-Level Interventions for Improving Cancer Prevention and Control Addressing Persistent Poverty
Fiscal Year:	2026

The overall, long-term goal of “HOPE & CAIRHE 2gether (HC2)” is to increase the reach of evidence-based cancer prevention and control interventions (EBIs) in areas of persistent poverty (PP). (For the purpose of this center grant’s projects and cores, “persistent poverty” is defined as a formal geographic classification developed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and codified by Congress. An area receives this designation based on the following specific, measurable criteria: a poverty rate of 20% or greater across four consecutive 10-year time periods, spanning 30 years. It is widely used across the federal government.) HC2 brings together the expertise, infrastructure, partnerships, and resources of the Center for HOPE, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and University of Utah, with the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Excellence (CAIRHE) and Montana State University. HC2’s community-level, translational research programs align with communities’ cultural beliefs, resources, and priorities; reach across the lifespan; and strategically partner with key “anchor organizations,” public health agencies, healthcare systems, American Indian communities, and community organizations across five states. The HC2 Network brings together the robust community partnerships across institutions to create a unique resource for advancing cancer prevention in PP areas in the Mountain West, and HC2 is guided by a Community and Scientific Advisory Board. Projects 1 and 2 address the disproportionate burden of cancer among PP areas and populations. Project 1 partners with Community Health Centers (CHCs) to address tobacco cessation and mitigate their negative impacts among CHC patients in Utah who use tobacco and live in PP census tracts (majority Latino). Project 2 partners with Cooperative Extension Systems (CES) to address obesity prevention among American Indian communities located in PP census tracts in Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Both Projects include Project Steering Committees, and Project 2 includes Local Community Advisory Boards in each community. An overarching theme creating synergy across HC2 activities and research is increasing “Reach through Effective Implementation.” As such, HC2 implementation strategies are specifically tailored to local and community contexts. HC2’s structure and function create substantial synergy to advance cancer prevention research in areas and populations experiencing PP via: complementary expertise, experience, engagement, and leadership across institutions; innovative, comprehensive, conceptual framework targeting Reach through Effective Implementation, with shared research foci that drive the research programs; multi-faceted, cross-institutional training that leverages the complementary strengths and access to trainee populations across Utah and Montana; and combining deep and extensive community engagement and robust partnerships across institutions to create the HC2 Network. In sum, HC2 will build on existing expertise, research infrastructures, and longstanding partnerships to serve as a regional and national leader in community-engaged cancer prevention and control research.




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