Leadership Initiative

The National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer (NBLIC) was established by the National Cancer Advisory Board in 1989 as the first minority outreach initiative of the National Cancer Institute. Its purpose was to promote awareness among African Americans about cancer prevention and early detection, and to promote utilization of available preventive and detection services.

Under the leadership of prominent members of the Black communities across the country, volunteer coalitions developed local and regional programs designed to inform community members about cancer risk and to address personal and structural barriers that limit access to opportunities for prevention, early detection and state-of-the-art treatment for cancer.

Network Project

The overall goal of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer II: Network Project (NBLIC II) initiated in 2000, is to develop, implement and evaluate education/outreach and research efforts, which address cancer racial and ethnic disparities.

These efforts will be conducted over a five-year period in three phases in 23 densely populated African American, high prevalence cancer communities (HPCC). Phase I, Infrastructure-Capacity Building will focus on enhancing the administrative, fiscal and evaluation capabilities of current NBLIC coalitions.

Phase II involves establishment of formal partnerships between NBLIC II and National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, Cancer Cooperative Groups and academic institutions to enhance accrual to clinical trials, increase the number of minority scientists and develop research proposals. Phase III is the development of grant applications with partners. Process and outcome evaluations will be enhanced and implemented by the NBLIC II. The National Office will serve as the Coordinating Center for Regional and Coalition activities, with oversight provided by a Steering Committee of project leadership and cancer control experts.

NBLIC Network Project Objectives

  • Establish a national network of African American cancer control experts and expert researchers, clinicians and others providing services to African Americans to deliver awareness and education activities in high prevalence cancer communities (HPCC)
  • Implement capacity-building strategies within community-based coalitions
  • Establish academic and clinical partnerships and development of relevant collaborative research projects
  • Focus of outreach, education and training efforts on cancers disproportionately impacting African Americans (i.e., breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate)
  • Target identified cancer focus areas with best practices to be implemented through seminars, lectures, health fairs and other community outreach efforts
  • Collaborate with national agencies concerned with cancer control
  • Establish partnerships with major cancer care providers in an effort to increase African American accrual to treatment and prevention protocols
  • Facilitate recruitment and training of more Black health care providers