Where Can I Get Help When Working With CARRA Members?

Getting Help to Ensure an Effective Process

Ensuring an effective process for involving CARRA members in your activities is important to the success of your activity. Whether involving CARRA members is new for you, or whether you have considerable experience working side by side with CARRA members, you may need help along the way.

Several sources of assistance have been identified to

  • Answer questions
  • Provide guidance
  • Help you ensure that CARRA members strengthen the processes and outcomes of your activities

  • NCI Office of Advocacy Relations

    The NCI Office of Advocacy Relations is responsible for managing the CARRA program and facilitating the involvement of CARRA members in your activities. For any questions, please contact the CARRA Program Manager, Elizabeth Neilson, by phone (301-451-3321), fax (301-480-7558) or e-mail (ncicarra@mail.nih.gov).


  • CARRA Mentors

    Mentors are CARRA members that have extensive experience participating in certain types of activities, and have volunteered to assist CARRA members who have not yet had extensive experience in certain types of activities. In addition, mentors can help NCI staff by answering questions, clarifying expectations, and helping address concerns. Please contact Elizabeth Neilson at 301-451-3321, or via e-mail ncicarra@mail.nih.gov, if you would like to have a mentor assigned to a CARRA member who is participating in your activity.
  • Information Resources

    Considering context can often be useful. Beyond the CARRA program, consumer advocates also bring value to many other Government activities. The links below provide information about some of the contributions consumer advocates are making in partnership with the Federal Government, specifically in biomedical research. If you have any questions about these programs, which the links do not provide, please contact us and we can refer you to the appropriate staff member(s) in that department.