Throughout the United States and globally, different populations contract cancer at different rates, and have different survival rates from this disease. At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Thompson Studies Group, investigators are working to uncover the reasons why. Our goal is to understand why these disparities exist, help determine the precursors to cancer, and build the capacity of community-based researchers to investigate, educate, and treat local populations in order to improve early detection and survival rates.

The Thompson Group is also supporting efforts to reduce other health disparities in minority communities here and abroad, including diabetes. The group’s team members come from a variety of research backgrounds, and include sociology, epidemiology, community advocacy, and project management.

The Thompson Group is led by Dr. Beti Thompson, who is involved in community research and has written many papers and chapters on community organization as a strategy for developing community partnerships. If you would like to learn more about our research projects, please visit our full site by clicking on the button below: