# Cancer Research Education Program

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2020 · $51,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The unprecedented burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has critical consequences for the delivery of cancer
care: patients present greater vulnerability to the disease and newly implemented treatment pathways and
protocols may affect long-term survival because of suboptimal or delayed care. For racial and ethnic minority
women receiving treatment for breast cancer, institutional measures implemented to regulate access of
patients to medical settings and modifications in therapy sequence may exacerbate the existing
disproportionate burden of the disease. Therefore, understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the cancer care
received by minority groups and identifying potentially modifiable factors to inform future models of care
delivery is critical. The U-HAND (University of Houston/MD Anderson) Program to Reduce Cancer Disparities
(P20CA221697; 9/22/17-8/31/21) is a collaborative partnership between the University of Houston and The
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center that supports excellence in educational programming and
innovation in research that affects health equity among racial/ethnic groups disproportionately affected by
cancer disparities. The proposed Administrative Supplement application is a natural extension of the aims of
the UHAND partnership and it is reflective of its overarching mission to execute innovative social/behavioral
science aimed at mitigating cancer inequities for Black and Hispanic groups. Specifically, the proposed
Supplement will be an extension of this goal by investigating the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on
the receipt of optimal breast cancer care among women from racial and ethnic communities disproportionately
affected by the illness and its psychosocial sequelae. This proposal is a logical next step building upon the
Administrative Applicant’s expertise on the intermediate determinants of cancer-related outcomes. Pilot data
collected will assess differential rates of cancer care disruption and health-related quality of life among Black
and Hispanic women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (as compared with non-Hispanic white women),
and examine how proximal, intermediate, and distal determinants of disparities contribute to these outcomes. It
is envisioned that the study will yield information about “at-risk” patients and ways to leverage existing social
resources. Finally, these findings will be used to inform future multilevel interventions able to sustain effective
models of care delivery in a post-acute COVID-19 environment. During the one-year Administrative
Supplement grant period, research and mentored training activities will help the applicant complete the
research aims of the proposed project, and develop skills that will support her understanding of mechanisms
that contribute to disparities in both health care utilization and outcomes among diverse groups to foster a
successful career in reducing and eliminating cancer disparities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10268474
- **Project number:** 3P20CA221697-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kayce D. Solari Williams
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $51,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-09-22 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10268474

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10268474, Cancer Research Education Program (3P20CA221697-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10268474. Licensed CC0.

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