09/08/2025
Marshfield Clinic region of Sanford Health is actively recruiting in the Stevens Point area for participants to join the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Connect for Cancer Prevention Study (Connect).
NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health. Connect is designed to explore the causes of cancer and learn more about how to prevent it. Marshfield Clinic is one of several health care systems across the country participating in this cutting-edge research. Together, these health care systems and the NCI seek to recruit 200,000 eligible adults to participate in the study. As of August 2025, Marshfield Clinic has enrolled more than 5,800 participants in Connect.
Marshfield Clinic is offering a special opportunity to patients in the Stevens Point area and will host a Connect enrollment session 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Marshfield Medical Center-Stevens Point Campus, 4100 Highway 66.
During enrollment sessions, patients can sign up for Connect and donate their first samples for the study. Current participants who haven’t yet donated samples for Connect are also welcome to stop by to do so. The team looks forward to meeting patients interested in learning more about the study and saying hello to current participants.
To learn more about Connect, visit cancer.gov/connectstudy. If you have questions about the Sept. 9 enrollment event, email connectstudy@marshfieldresearch.org or call the Connect Study phone line at 715-898-9444. To enroll online, visit MyConnect.cancer.gov.
Marshfield Clinic has seven regular centers for patients to join Connect and donate samples for the study in Marshfield, Lake Hallie, Weston, Wisconsin Rapids, Rice Lake, Stevens Point and Minocqua. Enrollment sessions at other Marshfield Clinic locations will be scheduled periodically.
Connect is a long-term scientific endeavor. It takes time to observe and understand the causes and natural history of cancer, so participants are asked to take part in Connect for many years. They will be asked to complete online health surveys a few times a year and to donate samples of blood, urine, and saliva every two to three years. Safeguards for privacy and confidentiality are in place to protect participants’ data and biological samples.
Through Connect, researchers hope to identify factors that could affect cancer risk and other health outcomes. These findings have the potential to influence public health and cancer prevention guidance for years to come. Participants in Connect will be a part of a community of people from different backgrounds to ensure everyone can benefit from the discoveries and learn about cancer prevention along the way.
