Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
- Referrals to patient-related programs or resources
- Donations, website, or event-related assistance
- Tobacco-related topics
- Volunteer opportunities
- Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
Research We Fund: Extramural Discovery Science
- Discovery Boost Grants (DBG)
- Arizona (AZ) Discovery Boost Grants (DBG)
- Mission Boost Grants (MBG)
- Research Scholar Grants
- Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG)
- ASTRO-ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG)
- Institutional Research Grants
- RFA: Leukemia Exploration and Prevention Grant Program (LEAP)
- RFA: ACS IMPACT - Expanding Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials in the Community
- RFA: Extramural Discovery Science Accelerator Award
- RFA: Cancer Health Equity Research Centers
- IMPACT RFA to Support Research to Reduce Prostate Cancer Mortality
- RFA: Real-World Data Impact Award (RWIA)
- TheoryLab Collaborative (TLC) Grant
- RFA: The Role of Health Policy and Health Insurance in Improving Access to and Performance of Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Services
- ACS Professor Award
- Extramural Grants Department Staff Contacts
- Definition of Research Areas
- FAQs: ACS Extramural Discovery Science and Grant Application Submissions
- Extramural Priority Research Areas
- Our Grant Process
- American Cancer Society Research Events
- Peer Review Committee for DNA Mechanisms in Cancer (DMC)
- Peer Review Committee for Immunology and Blood Cell Development (IBCD)
- Peer Review Committee for RNA Mechanisms in Cancer (RMC)
- Peer Review Committee for Tumor Biochemistry and Endocrinology (TBE)
- Peer Review Committee for Cancer Cell Biology (CCB)
- Peer Review Committee for Cancer Detection and Progression (CDP)
- Peer Review Committee for Experimental Therapeutics (ET)
- Peer Review Committee for Metastasis and Microenvironment (MM)
- Peer Review Committee for Cancer Prevention and Health Promotion (CPHP)
- Peer Review Committee for Treatment, Palliative Care, and Survivorship Research
- Peer Review Committee for Etiology, Screening, and Early Detection (ESED)
- Peer Review Committee for Healthcare Outcomes, Policy, and Systems Research (HOPS)
- ACS Professor Peer Review Committee
- Peer Review Committee for Institutional Research Grants (IRG)
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (PF-MBB)
- Cell Biology and Immunology (PF-CBI)
- Cancer Detection and Experimental Therapeutics (PF-CDET)
- Clinical and Population Sciences (PF-CPS)
- Peer Review Committee for Mission Boost Grants
- Discovery Scientific Council
- Community Research Partner Participation on Grant Peer Review Committees
- American Cancer Society Professors
- Nobel Laureates and the American Cancer Society
Clinical and Population Sciences
Scientific Director:
Joanne Elena, PhD, MPH
Senior Associate Scientist:
Sandra Schimmel, PhD, RN
For all questions, contact:
Alejandra.schimmel@cancer.org
Research in this program focuses on human studies that investigate how to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Special emphasis is placed on studies that reflect the diversity of the US population and address health disparities based on age, gender, ability, race/ethnicity, nativity, geography, wealth, language, social class, and sexual or gender minorities.
This program accepts grant applications that focus on:
- Etiological studies that investigate the role of biological, genetic, environmental, and behavioral risk factors in the development and progression of cancer.
- Dissemination and implementation science research to promote evidence-based practices, interventions, policies, and accelerate the translation of evidence from research into practice.
- Innovative methods and technologies to promote and sustain behavioral change.
- Advanced statistical methods and machine learning to interrogate multiple large databases for risk prediction and prognostic modeling.
- Access to care, cancer care delivery, care coordination, health systems, patient-provider communication, patient navigation, and the delivery and practice of palliative care research.
- Research to uncover the root cause of inequities based on the social determinants of health and that employs strategies to achieve health equity.
- Strategies to increase and diversify participation in clinical trials and research studies.
- Research that addresses the mental, emotional, physical, and financial well-being of caregivers.
- Examinations focused on symptoms management, treatment adherence, patient-reported outcomes, co-morbidites, psychological, spiritual, financial, physical well-being, and quality of life in cancer survivors.
- Developing and testing interventions that involve cultural tailoring, health literacy, social support, patient-provider communication, shared decision-making, and social marketing to mitigate the cancer burden.
Associated Peer Review Committees
For more information on our grant making process, please visit Our Grant Process.
To view all of our peer review committees, please visit our Peer Review Committees webpage.
Glossary for Nonscientists
Featured Term:
Social Determinants of Health
Non-medical factors that influence health, the ability to function, risk for health problems, and quality of life. These include conditions in the environments where people are born, live, work, play, worship, and age as well as the social, economic, and political systems that shape those conditions of daily life. Social determinants of health are closely linked with health disparities.