Patient Advocacy

AACR Scientist↔Survivor Program®

Building upon the AACR’s longstanding commitment to foster partnerships with cancer survivors and patient advocates—and to fulfill its goal of significantly expanding these relationships—the association established the Scientist↔Survivor Program® (SSP) in 1998. SSP started as a single program at the AACR Annual Meeting. Now, in addition to our legacy program, SSP provides a series of educational and engagement programs designed to promote the inclusion of the patient perspective in cancer research and policy.

Our Mission

The AACR Scientist↔Survivor Program® is dedicated to fostering mutually beneficial and enduring partnerships among leaders of the cancer survivor, patient advocacy, and scientific communities.

By strengthening communications and developing collaborations among these key constituencies, the program enhances efforts to accelerate progress against cancer. To advance the prevention and cure of the disease, it is critical that advocates and scientists work together to increase funding for cancer research, further participation in clinical trials, improve clinical trial design, and facilitate access to cancer information for the general public. The Scientist↔Survivor Program® strengthens and supports these synergistic collaborations.

Opportunities for patient advocates

Cancer survivors and patient advocates provide valuable insight throughout the research continuum to inform scientific discovery, public policy, and clinical research. To encourage participation in research, AACR offers patient advocates and cancer survivors a number of resources, tools, and opportunities, such as:

• Annual Meeting Scientist↔Survivor Program®
• Patient Advocate Affiliate Membership
• Patient Advocate Registration Rate at Scientific Conferences
• Patient Advocate Program at the AACR Annual Meeting
• Advocate Abstracts at The Science of Cancer Health Disparities
• Educational Programs and Resources
• Cancer Today, a magazine for patient advocates

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Learn More:

• The Education of a Patient Advocate
• The Evolving Role of Patient Advocacy