We recently checked in with our members to understand what’s changing, what’s challenging and what’s exciting in the world of cancer marketing and communications. This fall, we launched a 19-question survey to all registered CMCA members.
Here’s a walk-through of what you shared, what you care about, and what opportunities lie ahead for CMCA.
Who You Are and How Your Teams Look
Most respondents came from matrix cancer centers (77%), while 23% represented freestanding centers. Job titles spanned the full range—from specialists and contributors (20%) to managers (47%) to director-level and above (33%).
Team sizes varied widely:
- 42% said their teams have just 1-5 people
- 34% reported teams of 6-20
- 26% have 21 or more
Even with different structures and sizes, your teams share a lot of common priorities.
What Your Teams Do and Where You’re Growing
It’s no surprise that the most common functions on cancer marcom teams continue to be digital and content focused. Nearly all respondents said they handle:
- Digital marketing and social media (94%)
- Content strategy and writing (91%)
- Internal communications (89%)
- Media relations (79%)
Meanwhile, roles like physician liaisons (26%), community engagement (42%), and event management (57%) were less common across respondents.
When we asked which areas were growing the most, you pointed overwhelmingly to:
- Digital marketing (63%)
- Social media (59%)
- Video and multimedia (49%)
And when you talked about the skill sets you most want to add, a theme emerged quickly:
analytics, storytelling and AI.
More specifically:
- Data and performance analytics
- SEO and content strategy
- Visual storytelling and video
- AI and automation tools
What’s on Your Mind
The open-ended comments gave us an even clearer picture of what matters to you right now.
AI came up again and again as something you want to understand and use more strategically, especially for content creation and efficiency.
Many of you also mentioned the need to reinforce trust in cancer research and medical institutions, especially in an environment where misinformation can spread quickly. It’s an area where your expertise, and CMCA’s resources, can make a difference.
Some respondents also shared concerns about downsizing or outsourcing due to AI, centralization within matrix centers or increased vendor use.
How You’re Engaging With CMCA
Nearly half of you (46%) said your entire team has an active CMCA login, which is great to see! Many of you are taking advantage of being part of a CMCA affinity group, including Digital Strategies, Media Relations, Events and Physician Relations. There was strong interest for members to connect more closely to discuss Internal Communications and Social Media. Some other ideas that popped up include scientific communications, strategy and brand/marketing.
When it comes to CMCA programming, members most often engaged with the membership portal, annual conference, webinars and affinity groups. On the flip side, CMCA Awards and the job board were the least used—an opportunity for us to showcase these resources more.
And here’s an interesting insight:
- 28% of respondents didn’t know we had a blog
- 30% weren’t familiar with CMCA Connect
We’ll work on making these more visible. Any member in good standing with a current CMCA login should automatically get emailed the bimonthly CMCA Connect newsletter. If you’re not receiving it, please email [email protected].
What You Want More Of
When asked which CMCA resources are most helpful, your answers were clear:
- Best practices in cancer marketing and communications (75%)
- Webinars on emerging skills—AI, multimedia, analytics (74%)
- Updates and trends in cancer research (60%)
- Benchmarking data—salary, team structure, staffing models (53%)
You also suggested more:
- Networking and interaction
- Better onboarding for new members
- Opportunities for broader comms teams to participate
- Programming that engages executive directors and C-suite leaders
What We’re Taking Forward
Your feedback gives us a clear roadmap. In the year ahead, CMCA will continue prioritizing digital, social and multimedia skills while expanding support in high-need areas like internal communications and AI. We’re also focused on strengthening the member experience and making it easier to find resources, join conversations, connect with peers and learn about award opportunities.
Most of all, your input reaffirmed what makes CMCA special: a community of thoughtful, committed professionals who are eager to learn from one another and elevate cancer communication across the field.
Thank you to everyone who shared your perspective. If you have ideas or want to get involved, reach out any time at [email protected].