Who We Are

We’re on a mission to make a positive impact in Colorado by acting as a bridge between the CU Cancer Center and the communities it serves. Our work is geared towards identifying and addressing barriers to cancer health equity in underserved areas across the state, aiming to reduce Colorado’s overall cancer burden: 

• We actively collaborate with local communities to understand and address their unique cancer-related needs and challenges, including those disproportionately affected by cancer.

• We foster collaborative partnerships with community organizations, healthcare providers, and academic institutions to improve access cancer services, treatment and clinical trials.

• We develop educational programs and awareness campaigns to increase cancer literacy, early detection, screening, prevention and reduce cancer risk.

• We identify and address social and economic challenges in underserved areas, advocating for policy changes that support cancer prevention, access to care, and equity in treatment outcomes.

• We continuously monitor and evaluate our initiatives to ensure effectiveness and adapt strategies as needed to meet community needs.

The Area We Serve

The CU Cancer Center serves the entire state of Colorado, or our “catchment area.” A catchment area is a geographic area that all NCI-designated cancer centers serve or intend to serve. Our catchment area represents >80% of the population that the CU Cancer Center serves through research, clinical, and outreach and engagement initiatives.

What makes Colorado unique?

• Colorado is now home to approximately 5.8 million people and our population has grown over 15% in the past 10 years. 
• It is the 8th largest state by land mass, covering 104,000 square miles.
• There are 64 counties in Colorado, 47 (73%) of which are designated rural or frontier, where just over 12% of the population resides in those counties.

Our Projects

COE Fact Sheet

It is projected that 29,430 Coloradans will be diagnosed with cancer, and 8,480 people will die form cancer in 2024.¹ The five most common cancers diagnosed in Colorado are female breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, and melanoma.² Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer death in Colorado followed by colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.¹

1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2024. Atlanta: American Cancer Society. Published 2024.
2. Center for Disease Control, National Cancer Institute. State Cancer Profiles. Updated January 2024. Accessed January 10, 2024. https://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/index.html.

The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement collaborates closely with CU Cancer Center members and research partners to advance studies on cancer disparities within our state, contributing valuable insights and data that help inform our collective understanding. While our partners lead many of the research efforts, we also actively engage in conducting our own research to drive meaningful change.