# Full Project 1: WeCanManage: An mHealth self-management tool to empower survivors with disabilities due to long-term effects of cancer and its treatment

> **NIH NIH U54** · NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $32,994

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
There are an estimated 16.9 million cancer survivors in the United States. Approximately 40% of cancer
survivors live with long-term physical, cognitive, psychological and social consequences of cancer and its
treatment, which can in turn lead to long-term disability. Research indicates that self-management interventions
can help people, including those with cancer, acquire the knowledge and skills needed to manage symptoms
like pain, fatigue, anxiety and decreased mood. Delivering self-management interventions via smartphone
applications (also called mHealth apps) can get self-management tools in the hands of people who need them
the most, including cancer survivors with disabilities. To date, no mHealth self-management apps have been
developed to meet the needs of cancer survivors with disabilities. The purpose of this research and
development study is to develop an innovative mHealth app, called WeCanManage (WCM), to empower cancer
survivors with disabilities to proactively manage cancer and its consequences as a chronic condition. This
community-based participatory research project will proceed in two phases. In phase I, we will use a user-
centered design process to develop the WeCanManage tool in partnership with a team of survivor scientists
(members of the grass-roots cancer survivor community) who will engage with the research team as co-
researchers and co-developers of the WCM tool. In phase II, we will evaluate the feasibility, acceptance, and
user satisfaction with a 4-week engagement period with the WeCanManage app among cancer survivors with
disabilities (n=60). This rigorous development and evaluation process will lay the foundation for future clinical
trial research. People with disabilities are an unrecognized health disparities population and are often excluded
from the cancer health equity agenda. Indeed, cancer survivors indicate that their long-term disability needs are
inadequately addressed across the cancer care and survivorship continuum. The WCM research project is an
opportunity to enhance the cancer community’s understandings of this population and to develop evidence-
informed interventions to better meet the needs of people with the ‘double whammy’ of cancer and disability.
Rigorous research with people at the intersection of cancer and disability expands the Chicago Cancer Health
Equity Collaborative’s impact on under-served communities and distinguishes it as a leader in inclusion and
equity for all people, even those marginalized by their disability status.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10478259
- **Project number:** 5U54CA202995-08
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rachel Adler
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $32,994
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-09-24 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10478259

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10478259, Full Project 1: WeCanManage: An mHealth self-management tool to empower survivors with disabilities due to long-term effects of cancer and its treatment (5U54CA202995-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10478259. Licensed CC0.

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