VTAAC Taskforce Meeting Information
Taskforce membership is open to anyone interested in reducing the burden of cancer in Vermont – providers, caregivers, community members, survivors and patients. No prior experience or specific expertise required. If you cannot attend the virtual taskforce meetings, you are still welcome to join to review meeting minutes and video recordings, and to participate via email. Reach out to coordinator@vtaac.org for more information.
Prevention & Detection Taskforce
- Activities focus on preventing cancer from occurring or recurring and detecting cancer at its earliest stages.
- Recent work: Two-part series on Prostate Cancer. 2023 Project: Cancer Screening Guidelines.
- Meets quarterly for 60 minutes.
Quality of Life Taskforce
- Activities focus on treating cancer with appropriate, quality care and ensuring the highest quality of life possible for cancer survivors.
- Recent work: Cancer Survivorship Resource Center – a home for all Vermont cancer survivorship resources.
- Meets quarterly for 60 minutes.
HPV Taskforce
- Activities focus on preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections in young Vermonters.
- Upcoming educational opportunity: click here.
- Meets every other month for 60 minutes. New 2025 schedule is coming soon!
Skin Cancer Taskforce
- Activities focus on supporting and promoting evidence-based collaborative strategies to improve skin cancer prevention and early detection among Vermonters.
- Meets every other month on the 1st Wednesday at 1 PM for 60 minutes.
Lung Cancer Screening Taskforce
- Activities focus on early detection of lung cancer in Vermonters and tobacco cessation efforts to reduce lung cancer risk.
- Meets every other month on the 2nd Thursday at noon for 60 minutes.
Colorectal Cancer Taskforce
- Activities focus on increasing early detection of colorectal cancer in Vermont.
- Recent work: Colorectal Cancer Communications Resources
- Meeting schedule is TBD for 2025.
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Cancer Survivorship Project ECHO
Tele-mentoring Sessions for Primary Care Teams
Tuesday 12:00-1:00 pm | March 18 – May 27
6 sessions (meets every other week)
Registration is open for the Cancer Survivorship Project ECHO! This series will discuss best practices and evidence-based care for cancer survivors, including support of psychosocial and wellbeing needs, implementation of appropriate preventive measures, and management of the late effects of cancer treatment.
Please share this with any primary care providers/teams you are connected with!
Intended audience: Primary care providers and teams, including nurses, social workers/case managers and other roles that interface with primary care to care for the physical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors.
This series is offered at no-cost to participants through a grant from the Vermont Department of Health with support from VTAAC. Participants can receive CME for each session attended.
The program is a collaborative effort developed with the Vermont Department of Health, the UVM Office of Primary Care and AHEC Program, VTAAC, and an interprofessional team with a statewide focus. Vermont data, regional and state resources, and models of care will be discussed. With added awareness, primary care providers and their teams, including those in more rural settings, will be able to collaborate and coordinate care more effectively for cancer survivors.
Recent Partner Articles and Publications
Vaping-Related Lung Injury in Vermont: Documenting the Harms
According to a recent brief from the Vermont Department of Health: despite mixed messaging, vaping is not harmless. Vaping can lead to sever adverse health effects in the short-term and long-term. Vaping-related health care claims have increased since 2020. The age range with the highest first vaping-related injury code was 18-24 year olds.
Experiences and Ongoing Challenges of Food Insecure Households in Vermont and Maine
Dr. Meredith Niles and her colleagues at UVM have been conducting research on food security and its implications in northern New England. The quantitative and qualitative findings are powerful including (among many) significant differences between food secure and food insecure respondents regarding food sourcing, physical and mental health, and food access challenges.
Alcohol and Cancer Risk – The US Surgeon General’s Advisory 2025
There is a new advisory released by the U.S. Surgeon General regarding alcohol consumption and cancer risk, calling for warning labels on alcohol. According to the statement, alcohol use is “a leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year.” Few Americans are aware of the correlation between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. The purpose of this advisory is to provide scientific evidence for the relationship between cancer risk and alcohol, as well as increase public awareness.