The Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) is seeking a Community Health Educator (CHE) who will help support the mission of the Center for Cancer Equity and Engagement (CCEE) of ensuring DF/HCC activities reduce the burden of cancer for Massachusetts residents and beyond through community outreach and engagement efforts. Under the direction of the Program Director and CCEE Leadership, the Community Health Educator (CHE) will be responsible for coordinating and implementing cancer related health education and community related activities across the state, with a particular focus on regions most impacted by cancer disparities and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).  This position will also support the communication efforts of CCEE by ensuring effective and appropriate cancer information is shared with the public.  Additionally, this position will play an integral role in developing and fostering meaningful and lasting relationships with community partners in the great Boston area.

The Center for Cancer Equity and Engagement (CCEE) is responsible for the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) component of Dana/Faber Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC).  CCEE partners with organizations across the state to address cancer disparities and increase access to cancer care. It works to connect DF/HCC research faculty directly with communities to bridge the gap of access between researchers/providers and community members. CCEE believes that the bi-directional relationship between communities and institutions that provide cancer care is essential to reducing cancer disparities in our state.

Essential Responsibilities:

Health Education - 40%

• Deliver both in-person and virtual cancer-focused educational outreach and activities such as workshops, presentations, training, etc. across the state.
• Help implement educational activities and patient screening flow process development in FQHCs and other community-based health centers.
• Develop a tailored cancer curriculum that is responsive to the needs of underrepresented minorities and vulnerable patient populations.
• Ensure cancer education is responsive to health literacy guidelines and is culturally and linguistically appropriate for each audience.
• Identify new opportunities to deliver cancer education that respond to priorities and outreach gaps.
• Regularly look at industry best practices regarding education across the cancer care continuum.
• Identify and participate in events that involve community engagement opportunities.
• Assist with the recruitment of community members for community engagement activities and events.
• Identify, develop, and disseminate health promotion and cancer education materials.
• Assist with qualitative data collection as needed.
• Assist with other health education activities as needed.

Project Coordination - 20%

• Coordinate event logistics such as ensuring all tabling supplies are available, scheduling, zoom monitoring, etc.
• Convene event planning meetings and follow up on next steps.
• Track and inventory CCEE promotional supplies.
• Coordinate and lead meetings across all partners.
• Develop meeting agendas and take meeting notes.
• Follow up on meeting action items and share meeting minutes with involved groups.
• Develop project protocols, project plans, progress plans, quarterly reports, fiscal reports, etc.
• Collect, monitor, and report event metrics.
• Support the development of evaluation plans which will evaluate the impact of all community outreach efforts.
• Develop and disseminate products that will synthesize and summarize CCEE initiatives in a way that informs the activities of community partners working to address cancer disparities.
• Participate in other CCEE activities including conferences, projects, and staff meetings..

Partnership Development - 20%

• Identify and develop meaningful new partnerships across the state to increase DF/HCC cancer education impact.
• Provide liaison support between DF/HCC and FQHCs and other organizations.
• Develop and foster relationships with different types of community partners, in particular, FQHCs across the state.
• Collaborate with partners to ensure cancer education delivery aligns with community needs and priorities
• Identify opportunities to build trust among partners and communities.
• Help build capacity in community-based organizations and health centers for cancer education and resources
• Engage community stakeholders/champions in outreach and community-based research efforts focused on cancer control.
• Attend partner’s community events in support of their efforts and represent DF/HCC’s commitment to community involvement.
• Participate in community meetings, coalitions, and boards, with the goal of expanding DF/HCC COE work across the state.
• Maintain CCEE relationships with the community by identifying ways to engage regularly with ongoing partners and collaborators.

Community Support - 20%

• Support the implementation of CCEE’s Communication Plan.
• Collaborate closely with the DF/HCC Communications Department to ensure CCEE communication efforts align with DF/HCC strategies and branding.
• Develop a wide range of cancer communications to a wider range of audiences.
• Develop a social media presence for CCEE and manage its ongoing efforts.
• Execute and monitor results-driven communications plan strategies that support CCEE’s mission and goals.
• Maintain a unified brand voice/identity across different communication channels.
• Monitor all communication channels (website, social media, email, etc.) and serve as the first point of contact.
• Produce live social media content at community events.
• Stay up to date on cancer COE communication trends (conduct ongoing assessments) and make recommendations for adjustments to communications strategies and practices.
• Review analytics and create reports which assess and reports on the effectiveness of the communications strategies by analyzing key metrics.
• Assist with other communication activities as needed.

Minimum Education:

• Bachelor's degree (BA or BS) in public health, nature or social science preferred. 2 years of experience in public health research strongly preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• 2 years of work experience in public health, or other health-related fields (not including internships).
• 1-2 years experience in conducting health education and outreach among diverse communities.
• Experience with community engagement in underserved communities.
• Experience building community partners/forging new relationships to achieve a common goal.
• Experience conceptualizing, planning, and conducting virtual and in-person events and meetings.
• Strong experience with social media platforms and other marketing and communication efforts.
• Experience developing health education promotional materials.

Minimum Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Strong personal initiative and the ability to work independently and creatively.
• Excellent communication and diplomatic skills to forge and maintain relationships with community partners.
• Demonstrated ability to acknowledge diverse and intersecting identities in interpersonal communication and project design.
• Ability to anticipate problems/issues and take the appropriate initiative to find solutions.
• Advanced writing skills to prepare presentations, reports, training materials, etc. for a variety of different audiences in particular community members. Strong editing and proofreading skills.
• Ability to plan, coordinate, direct, and/or perform numerous and varied tasks simultaneously and efficiently.
• Analytical skills to solve complex problems and investigate various sources of information and develop acceptable solutions.
• Ability to work with a high level of autonomy, following the project plans, following cancer center priorities, resources, and policies, and working effectively with team members.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams); Virtual Platforms (Zoom, Teams); Canva, Adobe Acrobat Pro; Box and ability to learn new software as needed.
• Knowledge of public health issues, systems of care, treatment modalities etc.
• Ability to set and manage priorities and adhere to critical deadlines.

Preferred  Experience:

• Prior experience working with communities in the greater Boston area.
• Experience with project coordination in research or academic settings.
• Experience in health education curriculum development.

Preferred Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Bilingual skills in Spanish/English including writing, reading and speaking.
• Knowledge of cancer as a disease process.
• Specialized knowledge or training related to health disparities/health equity.
• Knowledge of organizations providing health services and education in Massachusetts.
• Knowledge of culturally and linguistically appropriate health education approaches.
• Knowledge of health literacy approaches.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong.  As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff.  Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other groups as protected by law.