# The Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity - Implementation Lab

> **NIH NIH P50** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2021 · $730,017

## Abstract

Evidence-based interventions for cancer control could prevent more than half of cancers in the U.S. if scaled
nationally, yet there remains a substantial gap in the adoption of these strategies across clinical and
community settings, particularly in settings that serve socioeconomically vulnerable populations. We propose
to develop an implementation laboratory (I-Lab) of community health centers (CHCs) across Massachusetts
(MA) to increase implementation science in community health settings, enable a range of studies on the
adoption and implementation of cancer prevention and control strategies, and allow for rapid-cycle testing of
innovative approaches in settings that serve health disparities populations. We propose to partner with the
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, a robust primary care association in MA, and 31 Mass
League member CHCs that all use an interoperable, comprehensive data reporting platform, the Data
Reporting and Visualization System (DRVS), to inform and evaluate implementation and quality improvement
activities. We will develop a three-tiered Implementation Laboratory (I-Lab) that builds capacity and
implementation readiness among MA CHCs and provides support for pilot implementation and evaluation of
evidence-based interventions among a subset of CHCs that are ready to undertake implementation activities.
The I-Lab will include 5 CHCs as active pilot sites, 10 CHCs in the learning community, and up to 16 in the
early engagement tier across years 1-5. The I-Lab will offer a range of implementation supporting elements to
its members, informed by the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF),
including a virtual and in-person learning community to enhance organizational capacity, an implementation
support team to guide integration of evidence-informed strategies into clinical practice, an implementation
practitioner to provide ongoing technical assistance to I-Lab pilot sites, and financial resources to support CHC
participation in a variety of innovative and priority pilot implementation studies. The I-Lab, its members, and our
ISCCCE investigators will be supported by a Data Management Unit to coordinate data collection, data
sharing, and data-related communication across I-Lab members and ISCCCE investigators. We will also
establish a Practice Surveillance Unit to monitor ongoing implementation activities, track outcomes of the
rapid-cycle pilot studies, inform the development of future pilot studies, and assess for unintended negative
impacts on other health disparities initiatives across the CHCs. To achieve the aims of the I-Lab, we have
assembled a research, implementation, clinical, and community health team with extensive experience in
cancer prevention interventions, cancer care equity, implementation science, community health improvement,
research design and biostatistics. Our ultimate goals are to advance implementation science in cancer control
and to create an implem...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10252864
- **Project number:** 5P50CA244433-03
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Elsie Mireya Taveras Benavidez
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $730,017
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-20 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10252864

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10252864, The Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity - Implementation Lab (5P50CA244433-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10252864. Licensed CC0.

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