Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network

10/13/2026

Dr. Vani Simmons is grateful for the opportunity to spend a day with Leadership Tampa Bay, a program of the Tampa Bay Chamber, exploring the people, places, and stories that make our Tampa community unique from the Tampa Museum of Art, Inc., Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa Theatre, and Stageworks Theatre.

Each experience offered a different window into Tampa’s past and present and was a great a reminder of how arts, history, and culture help create connected, vibrant communities. It also got Dr. Simmons thinking, "How can we bring more art, creativity, and cultural experiences into our community events to create deeper connections and more meaningful engagement?"

Learn more about Leadership Tampa here: https://tampachamber.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

10/08/2026

Moffitt Cancer Center and Feeding Tampa Bay are developing a meaningful partnership focused on bringing valuable health resources directly to the community.

As part of this effort, Keith Liotta, To***co Treatment Specialist with Moffitt Cancer Center's Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) office has been joining Feeding Tampa Bay’s outreach efforts to provide to***co cessation resources, information about lung cancer screenings, and education on the benefits of quitting to***co.

This work is part of a broader effort at Feeding Tampa Bay to connect individuals and families with resources to support their health. Through its partnership with Suncoast Community Health Centers, Feeding Tampa Bay offers access to a federally qualified health center for those uninsured or underinsured with primary care services.

Looking ahead, the partnership will expand to include one-on-one to***co cessation counseling sessions, which are planned to begin in the coming months. These sessions will provide individuals with personalized support and resources to help them take meaningful steps toward quitting to***co.

By bringing prevention and education directly into the community, Moffitt Cancer Center and Feeding Tampa Bay are working together to make important cancer prevention resources more accessible.

10/06/2026

📢 Register for the next Patient Researcher Forum on Wednesday, October 14 📢

This event will focus on prostate cancer and is taking place on Moffitt’s Magnolia campus, with a virtual attendance option available via Zoom.

This program will feature a patient perspective and presentations by Dr. Mike Liu, Dr. Conor Lynch and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Haley du Bois. Patients and caregivers attending in person will also have the opportunity to participate in a lab tour.

Registration for the in-person event here:
https://www.moffitt.org/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D206907968

Register via Zoom here:
https://www.moffitt.org/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D206907970

10/02/2026

September 27 to October 3 is Hereditary Cancer Week!

It starts with a conversation: Learn more about how family history and genetic screening can be a useful tool in cancer prevention and early detection.

Who Should Consider Genetic Testing?: https://www.moffitt.org/diagnostic-services/genetic-counseling-and-genetic-testing/who-should-consider-genetic-testing/

Florida residents with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer can learn about the work COE Genetic Risk Coordinator Tina Inman does with Project COURAGE: https://www.moffitt.org/research-science/community-outreach-and-engagement/outreach/project-courage/

10/01/2026

📢 Please join us for the next Cancer Health Disparities Grand Rounds with Dr. Lorna H. McNeill on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the SRB Ferman Family Conference Room 📢

Lunch will be available for the first 50 attendees.

If you would like more information, please email [email protected]

Visit Dr. McNeill's site at https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/lorna_mcneill.html

09/30/2026

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Age is one of the strongest risk factors for prostate cancer, with risk increasing substantially after age 50 (CDC, 2026).

Our latest curated data visualization uses a bivariate map of Florida to show where higher proportions of men age 65+ overlap with preventive health service use among older men. Take a look to see how male age-related risk and preventive care patterns vary across the state.

Read the CDC report on prostate cancer risk factors here: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html

09/29/2026

❓ What's the impact of cigarette imagery in popular media ❓

Although cigarette smoking is at an all-time low in the United States, cigarette and smoking imagery has seen a recent increase across popular culture. Whether it's in magazines, movies, or television shows, this rise of smoking imagery may be concerning. Dr. Vani Simmons, director of the To***co Research and Intervention Program at Moffitt, noted that "research has shown media portrayals of smoking can indeed influence attitudes and behavior". Public health experts will continue to monitor the trends to see if whether this increased visibility will impact smoking behavior over time.

Read the full article here:

As ci******es reclaim screen time and magazine space, critics warn that glamorized portrayals could undermine years of progress in reducing to***co use

09/25/2026

🤔 Are you free this weekend? 🤔

If YES, you can join the mobile cancer screening units and the office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) at the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center tomorrow, September 26 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Take the first step toward caring for your health by getting a free cancer screening!

Screenings for skin and head and neck are available as walk-ins. Registration is required for lung screenings as there are limited spaces for appointments on the mobile unit.

To schedule a lung screening, call 1-888-663-3488 or visit moffitt.org/LungCare. For more information on lung screenings, emailed [email protected]

09/23/2026

📢 Register for the next Patient Researcher Forum on Wednesday, October 14 📢

This event will focus on prostate cancer and is taking place on Moffitt’s Magnolia campus, with a virtual attendance option available via Zoom.

This program will feature a patient perspective and presentations by Dr. Mike Liu, Dr. Conor Lynch and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Haley du Bois. Patients and caregivers attending in person will also have the opportunity to participate in a lab tour.

The Patient Researcher Forum is designed to foster an intimate conversation between Moffitt patients and caregivers with faculty researchers and clinicians. These events are open to all, though advance registration is required.

Registration for the in-person event here:
https://www.moffitt.org/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D206907968

Register via Zoom here:
https://www.moffitt.org/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D206907970

09/21/2026

The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement is excited to present the next Cancer Health Disparities Grand Rounds speaker: Dr. Lorna H. McNeill, Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Disparities at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Please join us for an engaging presentation titled “Community Engagement: The Secret Sauce to Improve Health Outcomes,” on Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 12pm-1pm, in person at the SRB Ferman Family Conference Room. Lunch will be available for the first 50 attendees.

If you would like more information, please email [email protected]

Visit Dr. McNeill's site at https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/lorna_mcneill.html