Other Selected Research Projects

Appalachia Community Cancer Network (ACCN)
Principal Investigator: Mark Dignan, PhD
Funding Agency: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

This is a five-year, community based project focused on eliminating health disparities among Appalachian populations in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The ACCN is a member of NCIÕs Community Networks Program. The overall goals of this program are to improve access to and utilization of beneficial cancer interventions in communities with cancer health disparities, thereby reducing these disparities. The specific aims of the ACCN are to: 1) develop and maintain community partnerships to facilitate research and action to reduce cancer health disparities; 2) conduct community based participatory research (CBPR); 3) develop pilot research projects that focus on primary and secondary prevention of lung, cervical and colorectal cancers in Appalachia, and recruitment to clinical trials; 4) train researchers in CBPR; 5) disseminate research findings to community and scientific partners; and 6) conduct evaluation of the ACCN.

Faith Moves Mountains: An Appalachian Cervical Cancer Prevention Project
Principal Investigator: Nancy Schoenberg, PhD
Funding agency: National Cancer Institute

This is a five-year, community-based, participatory project focusing on increasing cervical cancer screening in rural Appalachia. The goal of this project is to develop a random, stratified sample of 50 congregations with 600 participants in Appalachian Kentucky to: 1) examine the factors (both barriers and assets) that influence the use of Pap tests; 2) administer a faith-based lay health advisor intervention that is community-participatory, theoretically informed, and culturally consistent; and 3) evaluate the efficacy of the intervention.

Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Rural Kentucky
Principal Investigator: Mark Dignan, PhD
Funding agency: National Cancer Institute

This is a five-year, community-based, participatory project focusing on increasing colorectal cancer screening in rural Appalachia. Specific aims of the project are to: 1) recruit primary health care providers, conduct a baseline assessment, and implement an educational intervention using academic detailing methods; and 2) evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in increasing colorectal cancer using a stratified, randomized design involving primary care practices assigned to intervention or control based on a readiness to change score and conducting qualitative key informant interviews and process evaluations.

Patient Navigation for Cervical Cancer in Kentucky
Principal Investigator: Mark Dignan, PhD
Funding Agency: National Cancer Institute

This is a 5-year, community-based project focused on reducing the disproportionate cervical cancer burden experienced by rural Appalachian women by increasing adherence with recommendations for follow-up treatment after abnormal results. Specific aims of this project are to: 1) utilize lay health workers as Òpatient navigatorsÓ in local health department cervical cancer screening programs; 2) train patient navigators and establish working relationships between navigators and local health department personnel, including designated nurse case managers; 3) link patients with abnormal findings after cervical cancer screening in local health departments with a well-trained patient navigator; 4) develop and implement an effective patient tracking and data collection system; and 5) shorten the time intervals between the finding of abnormal screening results and establishment of a diagnosis, and between diagnosis and initiation of treatment.