Professor Jingwen Zhang Receives Community Research Collaboration Award

Professor Jingwen Zhang has received the 2026–2027 UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Research Collaboration Award ($15,000) to support a new community-engaged cancer communication project. The funded project, "Community-Researcher Co-Designed Video Messaging to Promote Cancer Awareness, Information Sharing, Community Diffusion, and Screening Intentions in Oak Park," will bring together researchers and community partners to co-design culturally relevant video messages aimed at increasing cancer awareness, encouraging information sharing within the community, and promoting cancer screening. The project closely aligns with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center's mission to advance bidirectional, community-engaged research that addresses the cancer burden across its 19-county catchment area.

The project will be conducted in partnership with City Church of Sacramento, with Dr. Laura Fejerman of UC Davis Health as Co-Investigator, and Sutter Health as co-sponsor. It will also involve student researchers from the CHATR Lab (https://chatrlab.ucdavis.edu/) and undergraduate students from the REACH Ambassador Program (https://health.ucdavis.edu/cancer/research/education-training/reach-ambassador-program). These students will bring their skills and perspectives to the project while gaining hands-on experience conducting health communication research in an applied setting.

Together, the research team and community partners will work closely with the Oak Park community to develop and evaluate communication strategies designed to strengthen cancer prevention and advance health equity through community-driven research. Beyond contributing to ongoing cancer prevention efforts in Oak Park, the project is also expected to strengthen long-term community–academic partnerships and establish a foundation for future collaboration. In the long term, findings from this study will inform larger-scale cancer communication research and intervention development. The study will further support the adaptation and dissemination of effective approaches in other under-resourced communities.