One way that prostate cancer advocates can make a major difference in the disease is to get involved with the research process as a research advocate. How do you do that effectively? Nancy Roach, the president and chair of C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition recently wrote an article for CR magazine that will give you tips about how to function effectively as a research advocate. To read this article click here.

If this is something that you are interested in, how do you begin? One way is to participate in the American Association of Cancer researchers (AACR) meeting as part of the Scientist?Survivor Program. At this meeting you will:

* Attend special lectures about cancer research that are tailored to a lay audience;
* Discuss relevant and timely cancer topics during small group meetings, roundtable discussions and one-on-one meetings with scientific mentors;
* Communicate to scientists the key issues, questions and concerns of the survivor and patient advocacy communities;
* Promote their organizations’ missions by participating in their own poster sessions at the AACR Annual Meeting 2008;
* Network with scientists and fellow advocates from local, national and international cancer organizations;
* Use the lay-language lectures, group meetings, and other special sessions as background for exploring the scientific sessions of the AACR Annual Meeting 2008 on their own or with scientific mentors.

To learn more click here.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) values the opinions of cancer survivors and others whose lives have been affected by cancer. The NCI Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities (CARRA) program was created to integrate the perspective of people affected by cancer into NCI’s programs and activities.

The CARRA program is administered by the NCI Office of Advocacy Relations (OAR). The program consists of approximately 200 consumer advocates from many different cancer types, age groups, and ethnic groups across the nation. CARRA members form a highly qualified, pre-screened group of people. As they participate in a wide range of NCI activities, they represent the collective viewpoint of their cancer community – others across the country whose lives are affected by cancer in similar ways. CARRA members also play a critical role as two way information links between their own cancer-related networks and the NCI.

To learn more about the CARRA program click here.

This type of advocacy will help your group, and the entire prostate cancer community.