Abstract 2471: Accelerating early detection through community-driven cancer wellness hubs and ambassador trainings: Evidence of knowledge gains and real-world impact

Abstract Background: Communities with limited access to preventive care continue to face higher burdens of late-stage cancer diagnoses and mortality. Persistent barriers including delayed screening, limited navigation support, and low trust in medical institutions slow progress despite national declines in cancer deaths. Sustainable advances in these settings require models that strengthen local capacity, expand screening pathways, and equip residents as credible messengers of cancer information. Methods: The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) implements a dual strategy across its catchment area of Los Angeles County and northern Orange County: (1) Cancer Wellness Hubs (CWHs) situated in trusted venues (community centers, YMCA branches, and The Men’s Cancer Network Inc.) and (2) Evidence-informed Cancer Ambassador Trainings open to community members. Trained bilingual/bicultural community health workers provide on-site education, navigation to insurance enrollment, cancer screening, and referrals for diagnostic follow-up or clinical-trial enrollment. Ambassador Trainings are two-hour sessions covering epidemiology, risk reduction, early symptoms, treatment basics, survivorship, and effective communication. Standardized pre/post surveys measure knowledge, self-efficacy, and intent to share information. Results: In 2025, 19 CWHs engaged 714 community members, delivering culturally and linguistically congruent cancer education and resources. Of these, 29 individuals requiring follow-up (screening, diagnostic, or treatment navigation) were successfully connected to USC Norris COE patient navigators. Twenty-six participants completed Cancer Ambassador Trainings in Los Angeles in 2025. Aggregate knowledge scores increased from 65.0% (pre) to 79.3% (post), with the largest gains observed in pancreatic and prostate cancer awareness. Ninety-six percent of trainees reported intent to disseminate learned information within their social networks. At one prostate-cancer-focused training, nine men aged ≥40 received on-site free PSA screening. Conclusions: The integrated Cancer Wellness Hub and Cancer Ambassador Training model demonstrates high acceptability, significant knowledge gains, and rapid translation into community action, including direct screening uptake and peer-to-peer education. By training and empowering residents as credible messengers and co-locating services in trusted spaces, this scalable, asset-based approach effectively bridges gaps in prevention, early detection, and clinical-trial access. These findings underscore the value of sustained, bidirectional community-academic partnerships in dismantling structural barriers and accelerating the reduction of cancer differences in underserved populations. Citation Format: Eduardo B. Ibarra, Carolina Aristizabal, Elena Nieves, Rosa Barahona, Freddie Muse, Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati. Accelerating early detection through community-driven cancer wellness hubs and ambassador trainings: Evidence of knowledge gains and real-world impact abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 2471.