COE Support for Community Organization Research Engagement (COE-SCORE)
Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) - Support for Community Organization Research Engagement (SCORE) (est. 2022)
The Community Outreach and Engagement’s (COE) Support for Community Organization Research Engagement (SCORE) initiative provides central administrative and scientific support to facilitate productive and mutually beneficial collaborations between researchers and community organizations. We work to ensure that the needs of community organizations are prioritized.
COE-SCORE provides support for Moffitt investigators to partner with community organizations to foster cancer-relevant research in real-world settings with an emphasis on serving all individuals in our communities, including those most impacted by cancer.
It has been well-documented that it takes approximately 17 years for scientific discoveries to be adopted in the real world. This is far too long. COE-SCORE works with community organizations to develop meaningful and sustainable partnerships intended to reduce this gap. We're creating and supporting real-world laboratories designed to generate scientifically rigorous and impactful research across the cancer continuum and ultimately enhance the generalizability of our research findings."
- Jennifer I. Vidrine, PhD, MS
COE-SCORE is supported by our Research Partnerships Program Manager, Allison Nguyen, MPH, MCHES®, who engages directly with Moffitt investigators and community organizations to support COE-SCORE projects.
Throughout my public health career, I've worked extensively with community organizations on a range of public health projects to improve health outcomes. I enjoy working with Moffitt’s investigators and our partners to build and support innovative and impactful research studies designed to improve the health and well-being of all individuals within our communities."
- Allison Nguyen, MPH, MCHES
The Community Outreach and Engagement’s (COE) Support for Community Organization Research Engagement (SCORE) initiative provides central administrative and scientific support to facilitate productive and mutually beneficial collaborations between researchers and community organizations. We work to ensure that the needs of community organizations are prioritized.
COE-SCORE Network
The COE-SCORE Network is a community-based cancer research network, founded upon the principle that we can quicken the progress of scientific discovery by working together. Community organizations that formally partner with COE-SCORE automatically become COE-SCORE Network members and will have opportunities to collaborate on research projects.
COE-SCORE ensures that research conducted with community organizations is:
- Aligned with each organization's goals and needs
- Pragmatic and feasible in busy community and clinic settings
- Cognizant that community organizations are valued collaborators and an integral part of research success
- Developed with long-term sustainability in mind
Community partner participation in the COE-SCORE Network enables us to:
- Improve the reach, efficacy, and impact of cancer research, particularly among underserved and high-risk populations
- Reduce the time between scientific discovery and real-world practice and policy changes
- Implement larger and more complex cancer research studies without overburdening a single community organization
- Provide educational opportunities for community organizations and continuing education for healthcare providers
What We Do
COE-SCORE serves as a single point of contact for community organizations and Moffitt researchers interested in implementing cancer-relevant studies at community sites.
COE-SCORE works with community organizations to develop a joint research vision to make sure that we understand your organization’s goals, interests and capabilities.
COE-SCORE also works with Moffitt researchers in the planning, prioritization, and conduct of research studies. We help researchers develop proposals in partnership with community sites that consider the community organization’s needs and associated research vision. We help researchers navigate study planning and implementation at community sites.
COE-SCORE provides tangible resources to community organizations to support and sustain their involvement in research and other collaborative activities (e.g., payments, staff support). We evaluate the resources needed on a case-by-case basis and in discussion with collaborating community site(s).
COE-SCORE also works closely with other teams within the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement to provide cancer education opportunities for staff, healthcare providers, and community members.
Why Join the COE-SCORE Network?
COE-SCORE Network membership is intended to support sustainable research collaborations with community organizations.
Some benefits of membership:
- COE-SCORE works with Moffitt researchers to identify internal or external developmental funds to support innovative pilot projects with community partners that demonstrate a strong return on investment.
- These funding mechanisms include the George Edgecomb Society (GES) pilot grants and the Moffit Catchment Area Research Enhancement Support (M-CARES) pilot grants.
- COE-SCORE members are invited to participate in Moffitt research events where COE-SCORE project results are shared.
- COE-SCORE members receive ongoing continuing education opportunities for staff and healthcare providers based on member-identified interests and needs from Moffitt’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement.
- We will highlight the incredible contributions community partners make to cancer research.
Research Partnership Highlight: YMCA
One example of collaborative work conducted within the COE-SCORE Network is Moffitt’s sponsorship of the Survivorship & Wellness Programs at both the YMCA of the Suncoast (partnership formalized in 2023) and the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA (partnership formalized in 2025). This program is now called the YMCA Cancer Survivorship & Wellness Program Powered by Moffitt. This partnership has opened to door to collaborative pilot projects led by Moffitt investigators and supported by COE-SCORE.
Project Rally, led by Nathan Parker, MPH, PhD, was a pilot project to increase exercise among cancer survivors through a six-month-long pickleball pilot intervention. Facilitated at a YMCA of the Suncoast location, this program enrolled 29 participants. Program feasibility and acceptability were established and the program showed promising outcomes. This study was the cover story featured in the peer-reviewed journal Healthcare in February 2025, and highlighted opportunities for continued implementation and program expansion. More details are included in the 2024 Moffitt Annual Report.
Project NOURISH, led by Sylvia Crowder, PhD, RDN, is a pilot project with an aim to improve health through a culinary medicine intervention. The project seeks to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among cancer survivors and will engage participants from YMCA of the Suncoast at two different sites.