Office of Cancer Communications
Building 31,Room 10A24
Bethesda, MD 20892
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
From Blueprint to Reality
The NCI Office of Liaison Activities implemented the process established
by the Planning Group for identifying and assessing candidates to serve
on the DCLG. The time frame from the conclusion of the Planning Group meeting
to the preparation of a final list of candidates to be forwarded to the
NCI Director was approximately 7 months.
Promoting Nominations
The major objectives of OLA efforts to promote nominations were 1) to attract candidates who were well qualified to serve on the DCLG, as measured by the criteria established by the Planning Group, and 2) to obtain diversity and balance within the Group. Promotional efforts needed to reach a broad range of groups, including many that might not be reached through NCI's most commonly used communications channels. OLA, with the Planning Group, developed a promotion plan to call for nominations during a period which lasted approximately 4_ months-from May 1997 to September 15, 1997.
Mailings to Organizations and Individuals.
A number of mailing lists were identified that targeted key audiences
for the promotion, including minority and multicultural groups. A package
of promotional materials was developed, including articles of varying length
for placement in organization newsletters and a form for requesting the
nomination package. A number of organizations placed announcements about
the call for nominations in their newsletters. About 1,900 promotional
packages were mailed, and additional lists were prepared for use in the
event of a poor response to the first wave of mailings and other promotional
efforts. These were not needed. While large-scale media campaigns were
not employed, a few media-related strategies were used.
Electronic Promotion.
Announcements about the formation of the DCLG and the call for nominations were placed at three different NCI websites. Both a description of the DCLG and the request form for the nomination package were available from these sites.
Targeted Media Promotion.
Information appeared in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
and "The Cancer Letter," a weekly newsletter with broad circulation
in the cancer community.
Presentations and/or Exhibits at Meetings.
A number of meetings were identified where information about the DCLG call for nominations was distributed in the spring of 1997, including the 6th Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved & Cancer, the Oncology Nursing Society, and the National Breast Cancer Coalition. A brochure was created specifically for use at the Biennial Symposium. Fact sheets were distributed at the other meetings.
Other Promotional Strategies.
Notices were circulated internally at NCI via electronic mail and to a variety of NCI committees and working groups. The NCI's Cancer Information Service (CIS), with a national network of offices, was asked to spread the message to its local and regional partners. A notice also appeared in the Federal Register. The call for nominations resulted in more than 900 requests for the nomination package, and about 100 of the requests came through the NCI websites.
The Nomination Process
The nomination package consisted of several items designed to collect the information which the Planning Group specified should be obtained on each candidate.
- A letter written by the candidate that summarized cancer advocacy experience and accomplishments, and other relevant experiences that s/he considered important to DCLG membership.
- A nomination form that provided data regarding the characteristics of the candidate, including name, address, age, sex, and ethnic group. This information is subject to the Privacy Act. Since the time frame for conducting the nomination process did not provide sufficient time to get approval from the Office of Management and Budget for a new form, the existing NIH consultant form was adapted. Sections of this form requesting information not required for DCLG nomination were crossed out.
- An Agreement to Keep Information in NCI Database that indicated whether candidates consented to NCI's retaining information in their nomination package for use in demographic analysis and reports (excluding personal identifiers) and/or selection for service on NCI groups or advisory committees.
- Two letters of recommendation.
NCI recorded data on all requests for the nomination package, including
information reflecting the characteristics of diversity being sought for
the DCLG. In this way, diffusion of the promotion to key target audiences
was monitored. About 6 weeks before the deadline for submitting nominations,
all those who had requested nomination packages but had not yet submitted
them were sent a reminder.
Screening and Scoring of the Nominees
Each candidate was assessed according to the eligibility requirements and criteria established by the Planning Group. This assessment process was designed in conjunction with the Planning Group and conducted by contractors to OLA along with OLA staff.
Consistent with the recommendations of the Planning Group, each nomination was screened and scored by two trained contractor staff. A quality control evaluator monitored the screening and scoring process, answered questions, and resolved problems. As a further quality control check, OLA staff reviewed the nomination packages and scoring sheets for all candidates.
Screening (Assessing Candidate Eligibility).
Only nominees meeting the following eligibility requirements were further assessed as candidates for the DCLG. A member of the DCLG was required to:
- Be involved in the cancer experience: a cancer survivor, a person affected by the suffering and consequences of cancer (e.g., a parent or family member), or a professional/volunteer who works with survivors or those affected.
- Represent a constituency (formally or informally) with which s/he communicates regularly on cancer issues, and be able to serve as a conduit for information both to and from his/her constituency.
Since the Planning Group had concluded that DCLG candidates did not have to formally represent an identifiable cancer advocacy organization, it became incumbent upon such candidates to define the constituency they represented and clarify their role with that group. Scorers assessed whether these eligibility requirements were satisfied. If one or both scorers had questions about a candidate's eligibility, OLA staff determined eligibility status.
Scoring (Applying the Criteria to Eligible Candidates).
Nominees meeting the eligibility requirements were then scored on the five criteria established by the Planning Group, using the numerical scoring system also established by the Planning Group. As in the screening process, the nominee was reviewed and scored by two trained staff. The five criteria were measured based on the following definitions:
- Cancer advocacy experience. While all candidates meeting the eligibility requirements had experience in cancer advocacy, this criterion spoke to the quality of that experience. Its assessment involved an examination of the candidate's track record of specific accomplishments. At the direction of the Planning Group, it was assigned greater weight than the other four criteria.
- Ability to communicate effectively. This criterion encompassed such qualities as the ability to communicate ideas clearly, comprehend and articulate the issues likely to be addressed by the DCLG, be a good listener, and interpret information and communicate it back and forth between the DCLG and his or her constituency.
- Ability to represent broad issues. Members of the DCLG had to be able to think "globally," to step back from only their personal experience or association with a specific disease and to consider issues from the perspective of the broader cancer advocacy/consumer community.
- Ability to contribute to an effective group process. Effective functioning of the DCLG would depend upon the ability of group members to be cooperative, constructive, flexible, and innovative.
- Leadership ability. While members of the DCLG were not required to hold a formal leadership position within a cancer advocacy organization, they had to have leadership skills. They had to be credible and respected within their constituency, able to command attention and amplify that constituency's voice, and willing and able to take initiative.
Selecting the Final Candidates
After the deadline of September 15, 1997, a total of 136 candidates for the DCLG were screened and scored using the eligibility requirements, preestablished criteria, and the policies and procedures described above. Follow-up telephone conversations with highly qualified candidates were conducted by both an OLA staff member and a contractor to supplement the information obtained from the written nomination. OLA staff reviewed the qualifications and attributes of highly qualified candidates from which the Director of NCI selected the final 15 DCLG members. Selection was made in early November.
As the Planning Group suggested, information will be retained on all qualified candidates who expressed an interest and willingness to be considered for future roles with NCI whether or not they were selected for the initial DCLG. This roster of qualified individuals will be an important resource for calling upon consumer advocates to provide advice and input to the Institute in a variety of activities now and in the future.