About the UPenn PRC

The University of Pennsylvania Prevention Research Center (UPenn PRC) is a community-engaged research center that was founded in 2014. The UPenn PRC’s mission is to improve the health of people in Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and beyond by preventing, reducing, and treating chronic diseases. The center’s primary focus for future years will be on implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve patient and provider communication to optimize clinical and community-based management of cancer in diverse older adults. The UPenn PRC has a strong commitment to community engagement. The center works closely with community residents and organizations to adapt and study implementation science-informed strategies that focus on the prevention, reduction, and treatment of chronic disease and on increasing health equity. The UPenn PRC also aims to strengthen community partnerships and to scale-up evidence-based interventions for wider reach. The UPenn PRC has a number of ongoing research projects. One project is the Philadelphia Communities Conquering Cancer (PC3) Collaborative, which is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The PC3 Collaborative is working to improve the quality of life for older adult cancer patients by improving communication between patients and providers. Another project that the UPenn PRC is involved in is the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN). The CPCRN is a national network of research centers that are working to prevent, reduce, and treat cancer. The UPenn PRC is contributing to the CPCRN by studying how best to implement evidence-based strategies to improve cancer prevention and control in diverse populations. The UPenn PRC is a valuable resource for the academic and public health communities. The center’s research is helping to improve the health of people in Philadelphia and beyond. The UPenn PRC is also committed to strengthening community partnerships and to scaling-up evidence-based interventions for wider reach.