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A Broader Age Range, New Survey, and Connect en Español

Graphic that reads, "More than 30,000 participants have enrolled" in Connect brand blue, white, and yellow. The Connect logo is in the bottom left corner of the graphic, and the background behind the text is a group silhouette of people in a line.

Hello, Connect participants! 

Welcome to your Spring 2024 issue of the Connect participant newsletter. I’m sharing a number of important announcements below. First, thanks to you, we’ve reached over 30,000 participants! The cohort is growing steadily each day, and we are grateful that you’re part of our community.  

In April, some members of the Connect scientific team attended the largest cancer research conference in the world, the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. We received an enthusiastic response about Connect as an upcoming cancer research resource for the scientific community. As a participant, you’re contributing to this rich resource that will help us learn more about cancer prevention and early detection. 

Expanded Age Range

In early March, we expanded the age range for those that want to join Connect. We are currently recruiting participants between the ages of 30 and 70 years old at the time they join! Recently, researchers noticed that some cancers are developing much earlier in life (for example, breast and colon cancer). We want to be sure that we are collecting data from participants across a wider age range to better understand the behavior and health patterns that may affect cancer development and disease outcomes.   

You can help spread the word about Connect and our expanded age range! Sharing our website- cancer.gov/connectstudy - is a great way for folks to learn more about why we are conducting this research and what it means to be a participant. As always, the Connect Support Center team is happy to answer questions from anyone interested in learning more.   

A New Connect Survey

If you joined Connect after December 1st of 2023, we recently launched a new survey that asks questions about quality of life factors, such as pain, tiredness, and social interactions. If you joined Connect after December 1st 2023 and haven’t already completed this Quality of Life Survey, visit your MyConnect dashboard. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and is an important way to help us understand how factors that affect quality of life may change throughout your lifetime. We will be sharing this survey with participants who joined Connect before December 1st, 2023 later this year. 

Connect en Español

We have been hard at work preparing to offer Connect materials in Spanish! We are thrilled to begin recruiting speakers of Spanish as their primary language who are eligible for the study. This is an important way to extend research findings to all communities.

Spanish integration is coming at the perfect time for our newest partner health care system- Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH) in Dallas, Texas- to launch recruitment. BSWH serves a diverse community that includes many Spanish speaking patients. We look forward to watching the Connect community grow as the BSWH team begins recruiting participants this summer.  

Closing Reflection

On behalf of the Connect study team, I send our heartfelt thanks for your time and openness needed as a participant. I too am a study participant of another cancer prevention study. I dedicate my time to that study and Connect in honor of the family and friends who I lost to cancer. As a community, we are building  a strong foundation for the future of cancer research. I am proud to be walking alongside you on this journey. Thank you again for joining our community! I look forward to seeing what we can discover together.

Headshot of Connect Senior Scientist Mia Gaudet, Ph.D.

Mia Gaudet, Ph.D., leads the Connect for Cancer Prevention Study at NCI.

As always, if you have any feedback or questions, contact our team at the Connect Support Center.

Until next time, take good care, and Happy Spring!

Mia Gaudet, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics
National Cancer Institute 

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