OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Center for Cancer Health Equity (CCHE) at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Clinic is dedicated to increasing cancer awareness in the community, with an emphasis on increasing participation in cancer clinical trials, especially by minority participants.

The OSU Center for Cancer Health Equity invites students to apply for research positions in 7 summer research projects. Interested students should complete the below application by Friday, February 15, 2019.

OSUCCC Research Internship Application

Please fill out this application for SCCR funding. Please email your acceptance letter to sccr.byu.edu for SCCR consideration.

*The SCCR will cover out-of-state airfare, housing not included

**Fellowship funding will vary according to the length of the program, and stipend received from OSU

Project 1: Rural Intervention for Screening Effectiveness (RISE)
Mentor: Electra Paskett, PhD

Women living in rural areas are more likely to get cancer and less likely to have received recommended cancer screening tests that prevent or find cancer early. Additionally, the number of women who die from breast, colon, and cervical cancer are higher in Ohio and Indiana than the rest of the US. Researchers at The Ohio State University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis are working to reduce the cancer burden in rural areas and have developed a program to help rural women understand the need for cancer screening.

• Purpose: To compare two different ways to increase cancer screening participation for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer, and determine which method is more effective.
• Method: Researchers will contact women in 32 rural counties across Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana by mail and then by telephone to invite them to join the study and to complete a baseline survey.

Project 2: Community Initiative Towards Improving Equity and Health Status (CITIES)
Mentor: Electra Paskett, PhD

This study sought to better understand overall health of people living in Ohio and to see if what people do, how they feel, and where they live affect their health. Over a thousand participants, age 21 to 74, living in Ohio took part in the project. Potential research/analytic questions include:

• Examining participant screening behaviors and health information seeking behaviors
• Prevention actions
• Self-efficacy beliefs as a predicator of behavior

Project 3: Community Awareness Resources and Education (CARE II)
Mentor: Electra Paskett, PhD

CARE II built upon results of CARE I and focused on the goal of understanding why cervical cancer (CC) incidence and mortality rates are higher in Appalachia Ohio and West Virginia. The goal was accomplished using 4 core principles: 1) the Social Determinants of Health Framework; 2) community-based participatory research; 3) multi-level framework (“from cells to society”); and 4) transdisciplinary team of researchers and community members. Four inter-related projects examined factors related to the high rates of CC from genetic to policy/access issues using a range of studies from observational to randomized designs. Project 1 recruited women to a case-control study to investigate multi-level (genetic, behavioral, and environmental) correlates of invasive CC. Project 2 interviewed women to examine smoking behaviors among their social networks and a smoking cessation intervention is using the influence of social networks. Project 3 recruited women to participate in a cohort study where women received the HPV vaccine and were followed for 12 months to assess the effect of stress (self-reported and biological) on the ability of the host immune system to mount an immunological response to HPV. In Project 4, a multi-level intervention (parents, providers, system-level) was tested in a group randomized trial in county health departments (HD)and local clinics to see if HPV vaccine rates increased among females aged 9-17 who use HDs and clinics randomized to receive the intervention program.

Project 4: Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening (ACCS)
Mentor: Electra Paskett, PhD

This project focused on a cancer that is widespread but rarely discussed in the general population. If detected early, this cancer is usually curable; in addition, precursor lesions, (i.e., adenomatous polyps), if detected and removed, can prevent a cancer from developing. A multi-disciplinary research team developed and implemented an intervention addressing colorectal cancer screening behavior among persons diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) and their first-degree relatives (FDRs) in Ohio. This study (Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening (ACCS): Your Personal Prescription for Colorectal Cancer Screening) is part of the Ohio Colorectal Cancer Prevention Initiative (OCCPI). It was integrated with the Universal Screening for Lynch Syndrome (USLS) portion of the study. The goal of this study was to test the comparative effectiveness of two behavioral interventions designed to increase adherence to personal CRC screening recommendations among persons diagnosed with CRC (Lynch Syndrome (LS)+/-) in Ohio and their FDRs. The overall goal of the OCCPI is to reduce morbidity and mortality from CRC in the state of Ohio.

Project 5: Upper Payment Limit Grant- Wayfinder program
Mentor: Darrell Gray II, MD, MPH

This program uses patient navigators (PN) to contact and help identify individual patient barriers to receiving recommended care and locating services and resources within our system and in the community to help Medicaid patients keep medical appointments, receive age appropriate screenings (e.g. cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular) and adhere to recommended treatment for their medical conditions. This program will build upon the existing work of Dr. Paskett and the CCHE by evaluating the effectiveness of patient navigation to alleviate disparities in Medicaid populations at the following Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) locations – Family Medicine at Rardin, Colposcopy Clinic at McCampbell Hall, Gastroenterology Endoscopy Suite at University Hospital East (UHE), and Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center (SSCBC). This program will focus on the following: 1) Decreasing no show and late cancellation rates; 2) Assuring adherence to follow-up appointments and receipt of treatment and 3) Proactively identifying patients in need of preventative services and assuring adherence. We hypothesize that the program will reduce “no show” and late cancellation rates, increase adherence to recommended tests, ensure timely diagnosis and treatment of patients who have an abnormality, increase overall patient satisfaction with care and reduce cost related to “no shows”, delayed diagnosis and treatment among Medicaid patients at these participating clinics.

Project 6: Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening through Implementation Science (ACCSIS) in Appalachia
Mentor: Electra Paskett, PhD

This study aims to increase screening and follow-up for colorectal cancer (CRC) in central Appalachia, a geographically unique, medically underserved region of the United States (U.S.) recognized as one of three “hotspots” for CRC mortality. Beginning in Fall 2018, investigators from both the University of Kentucky and Ohio State will launch the planning and exploratory phase of a 5-year project grounded in implementation science principles (e.g., feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, effectiveness, satisfaction). The project will focus on 4 levels of intervention – patient, provider, clinic and community – using community-based participatory research strategies to modify an existing program for use in the unique Appalachian communities. Potential research/analytic projects include:

• Analyzing clinic assessment surveys
• Assessing community environmental scans
• Analyzing key informant interview data

Project 7: Rural Cancer Control Research Capacity
Mentor: Electra Paskett, PhD

The overall goal of this project is to build research capacity in rural counties in Ohio to then partner with them to conduct research to address the high rates of cancer promoting behaviors and high cancer burden in these counties. This goal will be achieved by completing three specific aims implemented in partnership with community members and FQHC providers and staff: 1) conduct assessments with health care facilities in the 55 rural counties of Ohio to assess capacity for delivery of cancer prevention and control services and interest in partnership to build research capacity; 2) implement a pilot study to assist clinics in 4 deep rural counties, two rural Appalachian and two rural non- Appalachian (RUCC 7 and 8) to a) improve the ability and infrastructure of the clinics to provide cancer prevention and control services; and b) increase capacity for conducting cancer prevention and control research; and 3) develop a mechanism to disseminate this program to other rural FQHC’s specifically to: a) involve FQHC’s in research projects at OSUCCC; and b) assist rural FQHC’s to improve delivery of cancer prevention and control services to their patients and communities.