The American Cancer Society is one of the largest and most well-known cancer organizations in the United States. They have a variety of resources on their website that could aid in research for a capstone project. Some specific resources offered by the ACS include access to cancer facts and statistics reports, clinical care guidelines and protocols, information on emerging cancer treatment and technologies, data on disparities, survivorship care plans, and public policy initiatives and advocacy efforts. They also have a library of scientific research papers and journals. The ACS has numerous regional and local divisions across the country that may be able to provide local data, connect you with healthcare professionals, or give guidance on developing cancer initiatives specific to a given region or community. Reaching out to local ACS leadership could help identify potential mentors, interview subjects, or areas of need to focus a capstone project on.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is part of the National Institutes of Health and is the primary federal agency responsible for cancer research. The NCI is an invaluable resource for any capstone project involving cancer care research. Their main website contains a comprehensive cancer research database of over 1.5 million scientific citations and abstracts on cancer topics that can help with background research. They also publish extensive data and statistics reports on incidence, trends, mortality and survival. Beyond published research, the NCI has programs, task forces and initiatives focused on specific cancer types, disparities, survivorship and more. Connecting with program staff could shine light on emerging issues, challenges or opportunities within cancer care to build a capstone around. For projects involving human subjects research, the NCI also oversees a large clinical trials system that may allow connecting with patient populations.
State and local health departments maintain invaluable health data and are invested in improving cancer outcomes within their jurisdiction. Reaching out to chronic disease directors, cancer control coalitions or cancer registry staff at health departments could uncover local priorities, initiatives or gaps in screening, treatment or supportive services programming that are ripe for capstone exploration and analysis. They may also have cancer burden reports, or be able to provide microdata to examine geographic, racial or socioeconomic disparities that influence cancer experiences and outcomes within a state or community. Some states/regions have cancer plans that outline goals and strategies providing direction for potential capstone work.
Cancer centers, oncology practices and hospitals conduct pioneering research and deliver the bulk of cancer care. Reach out to nurse educators, navigators, social workers or other staff about current challenges, opportunities or pilot programs to evaluate. Clinicians may also be interested project advisors, and centers maintain biospecimen banks and patient registries generating robust data for analysis. Community clinical partnerships could advance understanding of how integrated models address social determinants of health, survivorship care coordination or other important practice and policy considerations.
National or local philanthropic cancer foundations fund research, provide patient support services and advocate for cancer patients. Foundations like the V Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation and Cancer Support Community could offer guidance on emerging issues, introduce contacts within their networks, provide data on their program impacts, or connect students to patient advisor roles. Leveraging foundation priorities and existing partnerships could help ensure capstone relevance and potential for translation into future practice.
With such a breadth of options, identifying the specific issues or populations of interest will help narrow the focus and determine the individuals and organizations most suited to aid in moving the capstone project forward. Reaching out with clear project goals and desired contributions in mind will help establish mutually beneficial collaborations. The end result would be robust research, practical applications and valuable experiential learning to enhance cancer care.