Community Health Awareness, Messaging and Prevention during a Pandemic

Working with community partners largely in faith-based communities, Cheryl Knott, PhD, and Nate Woodard are trying to increase the early detection of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. With the support of American Cancer Society funding, their team trains church members to become community health advisers who deliver cancer early detection workshops in African American Churches. Cheryl L. Knott, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health in the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Nate Woodard is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant in Dr. Knott’s lab. 3:52 – The Community Health Awareness, Messaging and Prevention (CHAMP) program 6:07 – The role played by African American churches in cancer health promotion 8:35 – On training church members to serve as community health advisors and present evidence-based cancer educational workshops 11:34 – The impact of these workshops 13:51 – The upside and downside of virtual training to compensate for the impossibility of face-to-face workshops during the pandemic 20:15 – The challenge of scalability, given the importance of building relationships at a local level 22:24 – How to weigh cancer prevention needs and recommendations during a pandemic 28:32 – Their message for cancer patients and caregivers