Candice Lucas Joins Wilmot’s COE Team in Brand-New Leadership Role

The Wilmot Cancer Institute Community Outreach & Engagement (COE) Office has named Candice Lucas, Ed.D., M.B.A., Chief Community Impact Officer, a new role at Wilmot.

In this position, Lucas will co-lead COE work throughout Wilmot’s 27-county catchment area with a goal of ensuring the community’s diverse voices are embedded in Wilmot programs, research, and clinical practices.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Lucas. Her leadership and partnerships will positively impact Wilmot cancer prevention and care initiatives in the communities that have been disproportionately impacted by cancer,” says Paula Cupertino, Ph.D., Associate Director for Community Outreach & Engagement at Wilmot. “She brings extensive on-the-ground experience in working with diverse communities and developing, implementing, and managing programs that she will be able to leverage in this position.”

Lucas has more than 20 years of experience in community engagement and outreach, many of those years in the cancer space. Prior to this role, she served as Chief Community Engagement Officer for Monroe County working to ensure equitable distribution of COVID testing and vaccines. For the past three years, she has served as co-chair of Wilmot’s Cancer Community Action Council (CCAC). She also directed the Cancer Services Program of Monroe County, which provides access to, and pays for, cancer screenings for people who are uninsured or underinsured.

“I look forward to working alongside Dr. Cupertino to lead our community outreach and engagement efforts,” Lucas says. “I’ll strive to ensure community voice is centered in conversations, that we are engaging in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the communities we’re trying to serve, that we have measurable community impact, and that the community can feel the benefit from their perspective.”