Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has received a five-year, $9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to establish a Cancer Control Equity Research Center.
The initiative aims to improve the dissemination and implementation of health promotion and cancer prevention services for individuals and families residing in income-based housing communities managed by Virginia Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Greater Virginia region. Richmond and Hampton Roads.
An announcement about the grant funding notes that adults in low-income communities are at disproportionate risk for cancer and face a higher incidence of the disease compared to their wealthier counterparts. Despite this alarming trend, there is a significant gap in evidence-based methods to improve cancer prevention services in these communities. Addressing this disparity is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing cancer rates among vulnerable populations.
The collaborative research effort brings together experts from VCU’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, and School of Public Health, as well as Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University (ODU). The project will be co-led by Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., MPH, associate director of population sciences, and Gordon D. Ginder, MD, chair of Cancer Research at VCU Massey; Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of social and behavioral sciences at VCU School of Public Health; and Brynn Sheehan, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Research and Infrastructure Services Enterprise at ODU.
Through a multidisciplinary team science approach, they will work closely with other researchers, community co-leaders, and the Housing Collaborative Community Advisory Board (HCCAB) to establish the Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (VA-ACCERT) Center.
“This is a notable achievement in the history of our organization,” Fuemmeler said in a statement. He is also director of research in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health at the VCU School of Medicine. “I have no doubt that this center will create synergies in health disparities research across VCU and become a national beacon of success for advancing health equity research throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.”
In this project, community members will act as active collaborators and co-researchers, with a strong emphasis on authentic community participation and partnership. All interventions will be designed in collaboration with HCCAB and community co-directors. During the first year, the team will develop and deliver training programs for HUD staff, with the specific goal of addressing and reducing exposure to discrimination at both the individual and community levels.
“This work is truly transformative because it centers the voices and needs of the communities we serve,” Sheehan said in a statement. “By engaging directly with residents, we ensure that the solutions we implement are not only impactful, but deeply meaningful to those who live here. “Through our partnerships and interventions, we aim to break the cycle of disparities and pave the way for generations to experience better health and health outcomes.”
At the heart of this initiative is a multilevel intervention (MLI) based on an asset-based framework that targets key social factors of health. In partnership with each income-based housing community, the project will introduce structural interventions at the level of the built environment, such as initiatives aimed at improving food access and affordability and promoting physical activity. The MLI will also include individual-level activities, including access to hotspots and tablets and a comprehensive digital lifestyle intervention, as well as community-level activities open to all residents, such as experiential nutrition events delivered by a partner local community. These efforts will be driven by a comprehensive understanding of community assets and needs, with the goal of improving health equity and well-being at multiple levels.
“Our approach at HUD is unique and the potential for structural impact and long-term sustainability is significant,” LaRose said in a statement. He is also a member of the Massey Cancer Prevention and Control research program. “We have the opportunity to directly address the root causes of cancer disparities and promote organizational changes within HUD to improve the lives of residents living in income-based housing.”
Additionally, the VA-ACCERT Center will serve as a hub to foster a more diverse workforce of early-career researchers who will possess the expertise and support to guide new cancer prevention and control strategies within income-based housing communities. .
The research emerging from this initiative, along with three other similar NCI-funded projects in the US, will accelerate new discoveries aimed at advancing multilevel, community-engaged implementation science. These efforts are crucial to reducing cancer disparities and improving health equity across the country.
