National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute U.S. National Institutes of Health www.cancer.gov
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For many years, the National Cancer Institute has been involving input from those affected by cancer in its research. When the Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities (CARRA) program began in 2001, however, NCI gained a valuable resource: a dependable way to recruit, screen, select, inform, and train individuals; and to match their skills and experience to specific NCI staff criteria for projects and activities.

The CARRA program continues to be engaged in continuous development and improvement. At the same time, it has matured to the point where its model can be shared with other Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as through this web site to interested others.

CARRA and NCI
This section links to an overview of the CARRA program, benefits of its use, and steps to request CARRA member participation in an Institute project or activity.
CARRA Requests: Overview
Request CARRA Participation - Research or Related Activity
CARRA members become involved in NCI activities through CARRA Requests from Institute staff. These sections outline the overall process and specific steps for requesting CARRA member participation in scientific, communication, education, or other projects.
Working with CARRA Members
The CARRA program provides guidelines for Institute staff: to prepare CARRA members for specific activities, conduct the activities with their participation, and follow up afterward.
CARRA Evaluation and Feedback
At its inception, the CARRA program began to implement an evaluation and feedback system, which continues to be developed and refined.
CARRA and NIH Institutes and Centers
The CARRA program connects with other Institute and Center programs, as well as NIH-wide initiatives, for the voices and perspectives most affected by research advances to be included in research and related activities.