Medical Oncologist Coral Omene, M.D., Ph.D., is the Program Director of Breast Cancer Disparities Research at Rutgers Cancer Institute. Dr. Omene and Community Cancer Action Board Chairperson Dorothy Reed co-facilitated a virtual town hall, “Enhancing Awareness: Increasing Participation of Black Women in Cancer Clinical Trials.” Dr. Omene’s caravan series, “Let's Journey Together: Ride Our Caravan Advancing Equity to a Healthier Future with Breast Cancer” consisted of two virtual town halls and one in-person event held on May 19, 2023, at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. The series provided resources, benefits, and opportunities for enrolling in clinical trials, support for making informed decisions, and encouraged all to be a part of the solution in increasing awareness and improving breast cancer survival rates.

In June 2022, Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer Eileen White, Ph.D., led a world-class team of Rutgers Cancer Institute researchers to a $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges grant. This support helps the team address the condition of cancer cachexia, a wasting syndrome that causes a dramatic amount of weight loss and fatigue. Cancer Grand Challenges is a global funding platform, co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US, which encourages a community of diverse, global teams to come together, think differently, and take on some of cancer’s toughest challenges. CHECoE provided Dr. White with assistance in identifying suitable community members to join her patient advocacy board.

Social and behavioral public health scientist and prominent faculty member of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies, Julia Chen-Sankey, Ph.D., M.P.P., was the recipient of the CI/FDA Pathway to Independence Award in Tobacco Regulatory Science (K99/R00). This award expands Dr. Chen-Sankey's research on the effects of tobacco marketing on young adults' neurocognitive reactions and their desire to smoke. Dr. Chen Sankey also received pilot funding from CHECoE to assist in her research on the use of FDA-authorized e-cigarettes to quit smoking among vulnerable and underrepresented populations who smoke cigarettes.