Grant Details
Grant Number: |
3P50CA244433-03S1 Interpret this number |
Primary Investigator: |
Emmons, Karen |
Organization: |
Harvard School Of Public Health |
Project Title: |
Diversity Supplement to the Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity |
Fiscal Year: |
2021 |
Abstract
I. PARENT GRANT – ABSTRACT
After decades of research developing and testing interventions for cancer control, we have the evidence
needed to prevent more than half of all cancers. The impact of these strategies on cancer outcomes is
significant for both the general population and low income and under-represented groups that bear a
disproportionate share of preventable cancer burden, but evidence-based interventions have not been
uniformly used across population groups. Gaps in implementation of the evidence base can be seen for nearly
all known cancer prevention and early detection strategies. As a result, we incur substantial avoidable cancer
morbidity and mortality and tolerate preventable inequities.
The Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity (ISCCCE) will create an ecosystem for robust
implementation science (IS) related to cancer prevention and control in Massachusetts community health
centers (CHCs) and their local communities. Our theme, improving community health by integrating health
equity and implementation science for evidence-based cancer control, reflects our critical mass of expertise in
cancer disparities, IS, and community-based cancer prevention and control research. Our “grand challenge”
is to address the inequitable implementation and limited scale of evidence-based interventions by developing
and testing implementation strategies aimed at narrowing health inequities and by advancing methods that
carefully consider the low-resource, complex nature of CHCs where adaptation and cost-effective solutions are
needed most. The implementation studies we conduct will address inequities within CHC clinical practice as
well as prevention interventions that link to community resources and assets. Our implementation Laboratory
(I-Lab) is comprised of 31 CHCs who are members of the Mass League of Community Health Centers and use
a common EHR vendor-neutral population management system that has extensive reporting capability within
and across CHCs, which will allow us to study implementation outcomes in different geographic settings across
the state using common measures. Given that achieving equity in community health requires clinical,
community, and policy-level interventions, our pilots will also examine how to expand the impact and
sustainability of CHCs’ cancer prevention efforts through effective partnerships in community and policy
settings. Our Network Unit connects us directly with other Moonshot IS initiatives and national community
health leadership, and expands opportunities for collaboration and synergy, building IS capacity in our own
institutions and across the nation.
The specific aims from the parent grant include to:
1. Create an implementation science ecosystem across MA that engages CHCs in deploying
evidence-based interventions for cancer prevention and control.
2. Address health inequities by race/ethnicity, income, and geography through use of robust IS
approaches in the Implementation Studies Unit.
3. Create an innovative Methods Unit to address methodologic challenges in IS focused on health
equity, and create capacity for addressing on-going methodologic challenges.
4. Create an innovative Network Unit that will connect the Center to other participants in ISCCC, other
NCI IS initiatives, and to CHCs across the nation.
Publications
None. See parent grant details.