Advocacy Program

Advocating for the advancement of research is crucial to finding new and better treatments for cancer patients.  Cancer survivors, their caregivers and families are uniquely positioned to support cancer research in new and innovative ways.  If you are a cancer survivor, caregiver or family member, you may find the following Q & A helpful in exploring this new and dynamic way that you can help cancer patients now and in the future. 

Research advocacy infuses the patient perspective into research making scientific and medical advances more timely and effective for people with cancer. Research advocates help provide a “face” to the science – as researchers focus on new approaches to cancer treatment, research advocates work alongside them and remind them of the human element.   This partnership ensures clinical trials ask questions important to patients, appropriate eligibility criteria allowing diversity of participation, and trial designs attractive to potential participants.  Research advocates support conducting ethical, well-designed research and work to disseminate the results of that research so that new and better treatments are available in communities throughout the United States. 

The purpose of the advocacy program is to provide the patient perspective to the research being conducted within the Hoosier Oncology Group. The desired outcomes include:

• Greater participant satisfaction with their clinical trial experience
• More support systems made available for patients from diagnosis through treatment
• Increased community awareness of the research being conducted
• Educate patients in the benefits of participating in a clinical trial
• New approaches to dissemination of research results