SEPTEMBER 2026 ISSUE

Kentucky's Lung Cancer Screening Learning Collaborative: Bringing Partners 

Together to Improve Screening Across the Commonwealth


One of the most rewarding parts of leading the Kentucky Lung Cancer Screening Program has 

been seeing what can happen when people from different organizations come together with a 

shared goal. We know that increasing lung cancer screening isn't something anyone can 

accomplish alone - it takes collaboration, shared learning, and strong partnerships across public 

health and healthcare. 


The Kentucky Cancer Consortium has been instrumental in making that collaboration possible 

through the Kentucky Lung Cancer Screening Learning Collaborative. In partnership with the 

Kentucky Lung Cancer Screening Program and The QUILS™ Group, the Consortium convenes 

healthcare providers, patient navigators, public health professionals, health systems, 

community organizations, tobacco treatment partners, and other stakeholders from across the 

Commonwealth to learn from one another and strengthen lung cancer screening efforts 

statewide. 


The Learning Collaborative is more than a series of educational sessions. It's an opportunity for 

participants to share ideas, discuss challenges, celebrate successes, and learn practical 

strategies they can take back to their own organizations. Each session focuses on topics that 

support high-quality lung cancer screening, including patient identification, referral processes, 

shared decision-making, patient navigation, quality improvement, tobacco treatment 

integration, reducing barriers to screening, and improving access for rural and underserved 

communities. 


One of the things I've appreciated most is how willing our partners are to share what has 

worked - and what hasn't. Those honest conversations have helped build relationships across 

the state and created a network of professionals who are committed to learning from each 

other rather than working in isolation. 


The learning collaborative also strengthens the connection between lung cancer screening and 

tobacco treatment. By bringing together professionals from both fields, we've been able to 

encourage conversations around coordinated care and highlight opportunities to support 

individuals through both smoking cessation and early detection. 


As our program continues to grow, the Learning Collaborative has become an important part of 

our statewide strategy to increase lung cancer screening, reduce lung cancer morbidity and 

mortality, and improve outcomes for Kentuckians. It has helped build capacity, strengthen 

partnerships, and create a shared commitment to improving care for people at high risk for 

lung cancer. 


If there's one lesson we've learned, it's that meaningful progress happens when people have 

the opportunity to connect, learn from one another, and work toward a common goal. We 

hope Kentucky's experience encourages other states to consider how collaborative learning can 

strengthen both lung cancer screening and tobacco treatment efforts in their own 

communities.