# Chi gung: a community-based strategy in Chinese immigrant women to improve colorectal and breast cancer screening.

> **NIH NIH K08** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $191,933

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Research: Cancer screening disparities in Chinese immigrant women (CIW) is an understudied area of health
equity. CIW are underserved and face several system-, provider-, and patient-level barriers to healthcare.
Colorectal (CRC) and breast cancer (BC) are the main causes of preventable cancer death in CIW. While
screening is effective in reducing mortality from these cancers, CRC and BC screening uptake by CIW is
substantially lower than in other groups and well below Healthy People 2030 benchmarks. The purpose of this
study is to develop and evaluate a multi-component, community-based intervention (‘Chi gung’) in CIW by
adapting the Filipino Health Study, an NCI Evidence-Based Cancer Control Program improving CRC screening
in Filipino Americans. Our specific aims are to: 1) Develop Chi gung by adapting and enhancing the Filipino
Health Study to support CRC and BC screening in CIW and 2) Conduct a pilot RCT to assess the feasibility
and preliminary impact of Chi gung on CRC and BC screening in CIW. To accomplish these aims, we will
employ a community-engaged design. Qualitative findings from focus groups with community stakeholders and
individual interviews with CIW will guide the development of Chi gung, which will be iteratively refined through
additional semi-structured interviews and evaluated for feasibility and preliminary impact in a pilot RCT.
Candidate: Dr. Christina Wang aims to become an independent patient-oriented investigator who advances
cancer screening disparities research and improves health equity for medically underserved communities. Dr.
Wang’s proposed training activities are in four areas: 1) qualitative methodology; 2) development of
community-engaged interventions; 3) RCT design and evaluation; and 4) career development (e.g., manuscript
and grant writing, leadership skills). To achieve these goals, she has assembled a multi-disciplinary mentoring
team. Dr. Lin, her primary mentor, is an accomplished clinician-investigator with qualitative expertise who has
focused on disease management and illness beliefs in ethnically diverse breast cancer survivors. Dr.
Wisnivesky, her co-primary mentor, is a health services researcher with a focus on cancer prevention,
comparative effectiveness research, and RCT design and implementation. Her co-mentors include Dr.
Itzkowitz, a national leader in CRC prevention, Dr. Mazumdar, expert in biostatistics, and Ms. Jandorf who has
expertise in community-based CRC and BC screening interventions. Her advisor, Dr. Diefenbach, will provide
expertise in cancer-related health communication. Environment: The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
has a strong tradition of outstanding research and the Department of Medicine is ranked 12th nationwide in NIH
funding. The Division of Gastroenterology is consistently ranked among the top 15 divisions by US News and
World Report and is nationally renowned for pioneering research and clinical care in gastrointestinal cancer.
The...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10887085
- **Project number:** 1K08CA283362-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Christina Wang
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $191,933
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-04 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10887085

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10887085, Chi gung: a community-based strategy in Chinese immigrant women to improve colorectal and breast cancer screening. (1K08CA283362-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10887085. Licensed CC0.

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