Discovery science is the critical fuel that powers progress in these health-centric goals, from basic science as the building block to population science, epidemiology, translational studies, clinical research, implementation science and health policy research; our work is not complete until the benefits of research reach everyone.
To meaningfully put the whole together, we first need to focus on the individual parts (the goals). Four of the eight goals follow the arc of the patient experience – from cancer risk assessment, to mitigation, management, experience, survivorship, and health outcome. I think of these as the “health-centric” goals: Prevent Cancer, Detect Cancers Early, Develop Effective Treatments, and Deliver Optimal Care. They are directly geared toward health outcomes, which can be assessed by measures such as cancer incidence, cancer mortality, robust survivorship, and life expectancy. These health-centric goals exist mainly in the health and research ecosystem, although achieving them requires efforts from across society. Research – of all kinds – is an essential feature of each of these goals. Discovery science is the critical fuel that powers progress in these health-centric goals, from basic science as the building block to population science, epidemiology, translational studies, clinical research, implementation science and health policy research; our work is not complete until the benefits of research reach everyone.