How the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI) partnered with Nucleus Medical Media to amplify lung cancer awareness and screening through YouTube.
The American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of lung cancer screening. Led by a committed team of over 500 students and doctors, ALCSI works tirelessly to make screening more accessible, especially to those at higher risk for lung cancer. Through partnerships, community events, and now digital media, ALCSI reaches thousands with their message: early detection saves lives.
Empowering Education and Outreach through Nucleus Media’s Platform
ALCSI’s outreach strategy has long focused on educating the public through in-person events across the United States. Since its inception, the organization has organized over 800 awareness events and educated over 35,000 people about lung cancer screening. In 2021, ALCSI took its efforts online by collaborating with Nucleus Medical Media to expand its reach beyond local, in-person events.
“Our main goal was to increase awareness around lung cancer screening by getting information on lung cancer in front of more eyes,” shared Priyanka Senthil, Executive Director of ALCSI. “Partnering with Nucleus allowed us to do that at a larger scale and reach individuals we might not have been able to through traditional outreach alone.”
Campaign Objectives and Outcomes: Meeting the Mission
ALCSI’s primary objective was to reach more people with lung cancer awareness and encourage them to complete a questionnaire to assess their eligibility for screening. By sponsoring Nucleus’s health-focused YouTube videos, ALCSI shared vital information with audiences already interested in health and wellness. The campaign was successful, with significant traffic directed to ALCSI’s website and engagement with the screening assessment tool, where users could see if they met screening guidelines.
Each Nucleus-sponsored video included a link to ALCSI’s questionnaire, offering viewers the opportunity to assess their risk for lung cancer. “Through this simple tool, we were able to help people evaluate if they should consider screening and offer assistance in getting connected with a lung cancer screening center near them to schedule an appointment,” Priyanka said. For ALCSI, each completed assessment was a step toward raising awareness and supporting individuals on their path to proactive health care.
Digital Media as a Gateway to At-Risk Populations
As digital media consumption increases, platforms like YouTube have become essential in reaching diverse and often hard-to-reach populations. ALCSI understands that many people engage with health information online, and digital media allows for education at a broader level. Priyanka noted, “We’ve heard of patients taking action after seeing a health message on a billboard or radio; digital media provides a similar opportunity, offering education directly to individuals and their networks.”
This accessibility aligns well with ALCSI’s broader outreach. Through ALCSI’s Plus One Campaign, the organization is studying how sharing information within a person’s network may lead to increased awareness and screening. “We’ve found that about one in every two individuals we talk to about lung cancer screening knows someone who could benefit from screening,” Priyanka shared, underscoring the power of social sharing to drive awareness and potentially save lives.
Converting Interest into Action
To maximize viewer engagement, ALCSI carefully designed its eligibility assessment, aiming to make the screening process as easy and informative as possible. The tool guided users through a series of questions, showing them immediately after completion whether they met lung cancer screening criteria.
“We wanted to make sure that users who completed the assessment knew their results and could take action if necessary,” Priyanka explained. This clear, action-oriented approach encouraged users to follow through, whether by scheduling an appointment or reaching out to ALCSI for further guidance.
Surprising Discoveries and Expanding Reach
One unexpected insight from the campaign was the volume of international responses to the screening eligibility assessment. Although ALCSI primarily serves individuals within the United States, the campaign drew interest from viewers worldwide. “This was a pleasant surprise,” Priyanka noted. “It gave us an opportunity to educate individuals outside the U.S. about lung cancer screening programs available in their own countries.”
The campaign’s success has inspired ALCSI to pursue additional digital media outreach initiatives. Looking ahead to Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November 2025, ALCSI plans to launch a new social media campaign, encouraging people affected by lung cancer to share their stories. The goal is to reduce the stigma around lung cancer and emphasize that “anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.” By sharing these stories, ALCSI hopes to foster understanding and inspire more people to get screened.
Advice for Other Organizations: Tailor Your Content and Know Your Audience
For other organizations considering YouTube or similar platforms, Priyanka has a valuable tip: “Do your research and understand your audience. Tailoring content to the specific community you’re engaging with makes a significant difference.”
The ALCSI-Nucleus partnership serves as an example of how thoughtful, digital-focused outreach can extend a message’s reach, enabling organizations to connect with new and wider audiences. As ALCSI’s campaign demonstrates, digital media isn’t just a way to share information—it’s a way to empower individuals to take control of their health.