Community Outreach and Engagement
Serving our catchment area
Goal One
Assess the cancer burden and define the catchment area in Vermont and northern New York, and identify key cancer issues in the area.
Goal Two
Engage in evidence-based education and outreach efforts in collaboration with community stakeholders to reduce the cancer burden within the catchment area.
Goal Three
Promote research across UVM Cancer Center that addresses key cancer issues within the catchment area, including collaboration with community stakeholders.
Our catchment area includes Vermont and six counties in New York.
Our Outreach Priorities
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in Vermont and northern New York, with the greatest impact seen in rural communities, where tobacco use is highest. This year, we expanded our outreach efforts by promoting the ease and importance of lung cancer screening through billboards and public service announcements (audio and visual), shared across a broad network of radio stations, convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants. We also led statewide efforts for Lung Screening Day on Saturday, November 8, during which 100 individuals received screenings.
Four-year increase in the number of eligible individuals completing low‑dose CT lung cancer screening
Spotlight: Gretchen's story
When a routine lung screening at UVM Cancer Center caught Gretchen Bailey’s cancer early, she was able to recover quickly and return to the life she loves. Gretchen’s story is a powerful reminder that early detection saves lives—a message she shared with our audiences through a radio PSA and web and social media stories.
PSA at the Pump
Our audio PSA, read by patient Gretchen Bailey (above), aired at 64 Stewart's gas station shops in northern New York. Gretchen urges listeners eligible for a lung screening to get one: "You've got a lot of life left to live," she says in the PSA.
Highway Messaging
A billboard featuring our PSA reached approximately 73,000 drivers weekly in November and December along Rt. 11 in Franklin Co., NY, where lung cancer rates are historically high.
Digital Ad Campaign
We spread our PSA, "Lung Cancer Hides. Screening Finds It." via a targeted digital ad campaign that reached audiences at convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants across our catchment area.
Melanoma
We're on a mission to protect people from the damaging impact of sun exposure. Our skin cancer outreach campaign intends to increase public awareness of the harmful effects of UV rays; educate about skin cancer prevention; and offer community-based skin cancer screenings. These efforts are especially critical in Vermont, which has one of the highest melanoma incidence rates in the country.
Spotlight: Community-based skin cancer screenings
We took free skin cancer checks on the road with the UVM Health Dermatology team. During the spring and summer, we offered screenings inside our Community Outreach & Engagement van at local events, such as the Champlain Valley Fair (pictured left and below), where we joined community partner Age Well to serve more than 100 seniors and staff.
Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer has the highest cancer incidence rate in our catchment area. Detection through routine screenings can help to find and treat breast cancer early, leading to better outcomes. In partnership with colleagues across the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC), UVM Cancer Center helped develop two publicly available breast cancer risk‑assessment tools: the BCSC 6‑Year Advanced Breast Cancer Risk Calculator and the BCSC 5‑Year Invasive Breast Cancer Risk Calculator, both of which help people determine their risk for breast cancer and guide conversations about prevention and screening.
Spotlight: Genetic Testing
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, UVM Cancer Center member Kara Landry, M.D., helped raise awareness about the critical role of genetic testing in cancer prevention. She appeared on Across the Fence—the nation’s longest‑running locally produced television program, which reaches 20,000 households in our catchment area—to discuss how genetic insights are shaping the future of breast cancer screening and risk reduction. Related, local WCAX reporter Sophia Thomas highlighted UVMCC's Cancer Genetics & Prevention Program in a two‑part series exploring how genetics can inform real-time screening decisions.
Catchment Area Data
Cancer Risk Factors
Sources: Age and poverty - 2020 US Census Data, Smoking and obesity - US CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2021
Smoking
It is estimated that about 20% of all cancers and 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States are attributable to smoking. The rate of people who currently smoke is higher in our region (17.6%) compared to the United States (14.4%), particularly in northern New York and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Poverty
People living in poverty are more likely to die from cancer. While our region has a lower poverty rate (9.7%) compared to the United States (11.6%), rates vary by county.
Age
Although cancer can be diagnosed at any age, cancer risk increases substantially in older adults, especially those over 60 years old. Our region has an older median population (43.1 years) compared to the United States, which has a median age of 38.8 years.
Physical Inactivity
Physical inactivity is linked to increased cancer risk. For comparison, 23.7% of US adults report being physically inactive.
Cancer Screening Rates
Sources: US CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for Cervical Cancer, 2020; and US CDC BRFSS for colorectal, breast, and lung cancers, 2024
Colorectal Screening
The percentage of people who met the recommended colorectal cancer screening guidelines was lower for all counties in our region, compared to the US rate of 70%.
Breast Screening
The percent of Vermont females 40 to 74 meeting breast cancer screening recommendations in 2024 was 75%. This is the same as the US rate of 75%.
Lung Screening
Of the eligible adults in Vermont with a history of smoking and who met the recommended guidelines for lung cancer screening, only 23% actually got screened in 2025. Rates were not available for northern New York counties.
Cancer Incidence and Mortality
Age-adjusted rates per 100,000 people
Data Source: SEER and NPCR Cancer Registries
Age-Adjusted Cancer Incidence (per 100,000)
Age-Adjusted Cancer Mortality (per 100,000)
2025 Reach and Impact
Reducing the burden of cancer across our catchment area means showing up for people where they are. Guided by this commitment, we traveled across Vermont and northern New York and met tens of thousands of people who look to us for cancer care, resources, and education. The following snapshot highlights the reach and impact of our 2025 efforts.
Above: Green areas represent zip codes of people reached at events.
Cancer in Focus
In 2025, UVMCC launched Cancer InFocus, a self‑service data dashboard powered by an open‑source platform that was created by the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center. The tool visualizes cancer incidence, mortality, and key social determinants of health, helping researchers and community partners quickly visualize the cancer burden across the catchment area. By integrating regularly updated public data and intuitive county‑ and census‑tract-level views, the dashboard strengthens our ability to guide targeted cancer prevention and control efforts across the region.
New: Research Community Advisory Board
The purpose of the newly-formed Research Community Advisory Board (RCAB) is to evaluate the broader community impact of an investigator's proposal during grant development.
Before finalizing a grant for external review, investigators may request feedback from the Research CAB. This group includes community stakeholders and researchers who have diverse perspectives on the project's potential community impact.
Community Outreach & Education Team
Rachel Zwynenburg
Senior Cancer Outreach Program Director
Emma Vanacore, MPH
Community Outreach Specialist
Grace Ahmed
Cancer Data & Informatics Specialist
Ayla Yersel
Administrative Support Specialist