U19CA291433

Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (VA-ACCERT) Center - Overall: Project Summary

The Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (VA-ACCERT) Center is an academic-public partnership between an interdisciplinary team of investigators from the Virginia Commonwealth University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Virginia’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-administered public housing communities.

The goal and cross-cutting theme of the VA-ACCERT Center is to improve dissemination and implementation of health promotion and cancer prevention services within income-based communities and across the state-wide public housing system in an effort to close the unjust gaps in cancer health outcomes among marginalized populations.

The VA-ACCERT Center will utilize two essential theoretical models: the Collective Efficacy Mechanism of Action model to build social capital, community empowerment, and collective efficacy and elements from the Social Cognitive Theory and Social Ecological Model to inform multi-level behavioral change.

Community members will engage with the VA-ACCERT Center through these frameworks to aid in the cultural adaptation and delivery of evidence-based intervention practices, and their participation may include serving on the Housing Collaborative Community Advisory Board, as co-leads and participants in center-supported research projects, and/or serving as peer-to-peer health advisors.

Led by a multiple principal investigator triad with demonstrable experience in conducting both health equity and community-engaged cancer control research, the VA-ACCERT Center includes four interdependent components:

A large, five-year, multi-level, interventional Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) research project designed to improve healthy dietary patterns and reduce sedentary lifestyle through gains in low and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity;

A community responsive research projects initiative that will support the design, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of four research projects;

A research methods, measures, and data management core that will provide integral qualitative and quantitative research services spanning the data management, study coordination, measure development, study or methods adaptation, ethical considerations, and data sharing for all center-supported research initiatives;

And an administrative core supporting essential internal and external communications and coordination, guided by several advisory entities.

In addition, VA-ACCERT leadership will be engaged in national consortium-wide efforts involving four other National Cancer Institute-funded ACCERT centers and a central coordination center.

The VA-ACCERT Center will also be a hub for growing a more diverse workforce of early-career investigators.

These investigators will be equipped with the skills and support to shape new directions in promoting health equity within income-based housing communities focused on cancer prevention and control efforts.

Ultimately, the VA-ACCERT Center will disseminate and promote its findings and best practices for wide-scale adoption and sustainability across income-based housing communities locally and throughout the country.

Virginia Commonwealth University

TO IDENTIFY CANCER RISKS AND RISK REDUCTION STRATEGIES, TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT CAUSE CANCER IN HUMANS, AND TO DISCOVER AND DEVELOP MECHANISMS FOR CANCER PREVENTION AND PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN HUMANS. RESEARCH PROGRAMS INCLUDE: (1) CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND MOLECULAR CARCINOGENESIS, (2) SCREENING, EARLY DETECTION AND RISK ASSESSMENT, INCLUDING BIOMARKER DISCOVERY, DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION, (3) EPIDEMIOLOGY, (4) NUTRITION AND BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPONENTS, (5) IMMUNOLOGY AND VACCINES, (6) FIELD STUDIES AND STATISTICS, (7) CANCER CHEMOPREVENTION AND INTERCEPTION, (8) PRE-CLINICAL AND CLINICAL AGENT DEVELOPMENT, (9) ORGAN SITE STUDIES AND CLINICAL TRIALS, (10) HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES, AND (11) SUPPORTIVE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF SYMPTOMS AND TOXICITIES. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO STIMULATE TECHNICAL INNOVATION, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY WOMEN AND SOCIALLY/ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING, AND FOSTER PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY WOMEN AND SOCIALLY/ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS.

93.393 - Cancer Cause and Prevention Research

National Cancer Institute (NCI) [HHS - NIH]

Richmond, Virginia 232980568 United States

Single Zip Code

Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (U19 Clinical Trial Optional) (RFA-CA-23-026)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 96% from $1,895,094 to $3,718,368.