The Centers of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research (CECCR) initiative was developed in 2003 as a priority when NCI planners identified cancer communication as an “extraordinary opportunity” for research in the area of cancer control. In December 2008, NCI renewed the CECCR initiative, funding Centers from the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Cancer Research Network. This 5–year follow-up initiative to the first iteration of CECCR, known as CECCR II, places a special emphasis on the patient-centered communication needed to improve health and quality of life outcomes across the Cancer Care Continuum. New to CECCR II was the development of cross-CECCR Research Interest Groups (RIGs) to solve complex problems in cancer communication.The CECCR II workspace was developed by the Data Harmonization Research Interest Group, to allow CECCR researchers share information and to vet and share commonly used health-related measures to facilitate analyses using harmonized data.