Based in Westborough, DetecTogether is a nonprofit education and advocacy organization dedicated to improving cancer outcomes through early detection education. Founded by Jim and Nancy Coghlin, the organization was created in response to a critical gap in public understanding of how cancer can be identified early. Now in its second decade, its mission remains focused on saving lives through education and patient empowerment. 

A central element of DetecTogether’s work is addressing the lack of awareness around early cancer detection and how cancer often presents outside of routine screenings. While screenings are essential, they apply to only a small fraction of the more than 200 types of cancer, leaving many cancers to be identified through symptoms and changes in health. DetecTogether’s approach emphasizes “patient activation,” encouraging individuals to take an active role in their healthcare.

“We’ve identified the most common cancer symptoms and traits,” explains Tricia Laursen, President & Executive Director of DetecTogether. “We give people a practical roadmap so they understand their role in identifying these symptoms, know when to seek care, and how to collaborate with providers to accelerate diagnosis and effective treatment.”

In 2025, DetecTogether partnered with CHANGE (Community Health Awareness Network Grows Equity) and the Family Health Center of Worcester to broaden its impact and reach underserved communities.

Lovo Koliego, President and Founder of CHANGE, focuses on improving healthcare access to the African immigrant community in Worcester. She explored the opportunity to introduce DetecTogether training to this community, noting “there are beliefs and behavior that stop members of the community from getting timely care or screens.” To address these barriers and ensure training was done in an authentic and trustworthy way, Lovo introduced the idea to local parishes, recognizing that pastors and their wives were key influencers in the community. “It was a resounding success,” says Lovo. “The consensus was this really needs to be done.”

Now, CHANGE and DetecTogether are working together to host the “3 Steps Detect” training at churches. CHANGE will provide on-site support to help individuals navigate health insurance and access care, while community health workers from Family Health Center can assist with setting up appointments and answering questions. 

However, challenges remain. “Due to the current climate around immigration, some folks aren’t attending church anymore,” explains Lovo. “So, we’re doing the hybrid approach a lot.” Between online and in-person trainings, the team is able to reach hundreds of people, and they plan to grow significantly. “We believe this approach is very scalable,” says Tricia. “By training trainers on 3 Steps Detect, we can help more people to detect cancer early, which we know leads to better prognoses and saves lives. When people are equipped with the right knowledge, they become their own strongest advocates.”

This story was originally published in our 2025 Annual Report.