Advocacy Core
Director - John Park, MD
Manager - Julia Bruckner
Overview
The Breast SPORE Advocacy Core (BSAC) is comprised of 12 members, 25 associates and more than 65 supporters who have experienced breast cancer. These individuals support Bay Area Breast Cancer SPORE projects and cores by infusing relevant patient experiences into the SPORE and by addressing recurrent barriers to translational research that may not otherwise be addressed. The BSAC provides specific services through four advocate-led teams: Education, Clinical Trials, Tissue, and Policy Issues. The BSAC has also initiated inter-SPORE activities that include establishing advocate participation in other SPORE programs, providing tools to accelerate accrual to an inter-SPORE clinical trial, and facilitating inter-SPORE patient advocate discussions and activities.
Resources and Services
The Breast SPORE Advocacy Core (BSAC) is a group of people who have experienced breast cancer and have become actively involved in issues surrounding research and treatment. Many BSAC advocates are associated with other advocacy organizations, and help spread news about the BSAC and the SPORE program locally, regionally, and nationally. BSAC members represent more than seven breast cancer support groups in the Bay Area, eight oncology practices, 10 organizations, and five Bay Area counties. Work experiences of BSAC volunteers range from being business owners, consultants, and employees to public health expertise, microbiologists, geneticists, administrative expertise, teachers and trainers, authors and editors. BSAC members also represent a wide variety of community interactions that include board membership, leadership, and volunteerism. In cancer-related activities, the BSAC represents support group leaders, conference organizers, national review panelists, local and national speakers, members of NCI committees, advisory boards members, Project LEAD graduates, and help to hundreds of newly diagnosed and metastatic patients, as well as people at high risk.
The Breast SPORE Advocacy Core supports UCSF Breast SPORE projects and cores by infusing relevant patient experiences into the SPORE and by addressing recurrent barriers to translational research that may not otherwise be addressed.
Projects
"Advocate Clinical Trial Accrual and Retention Project (CTARP): A Model"
Poster presentation (Powerpoint) by P. Devine, J. Allen, G. Becker, N. Carbine, R. Hutchison, L. Katz, J.E. Lezotte, L. Esserman, M. Buxton, N. Hylton, K. Hwang, and D. Collyar.
"Understanding Medical Articles and Reports"
Two-part presentation (Powerpoint) by Linda Vincent, MPH.
