# Return-to-work issues in healthcare workers diagnosed with cancer: Investigation and Intervention Development

> **NIH NIH F99** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $50,474

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Nurses are the largest healthcare sector, with approximately 5.2 million active licenses in the United States.
However, nurses encounter occupational hazards, including working night shifts, exposure to toxic chemicals,
and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, which increase their risks of getting various cancer types, including breast,
lung, and colorectal cancers. Cancer diagnoses pose significant risks to nurses, including challenges to their
return-to-work (RTW) and long-term impacts on their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Nurses with cancer
may face unique RTW challenges, as they deal with dual roles as both healthcare providers and as recipients
of care. Through the applicant’s preliminary work, nurses described that they gain valuable insights into patient
care because of their cancer experiences. Yet, nurses may experience cancer-related symptoms and
emotional distress that impede them from returning to work successfully. Despite the profound impact of
cancer on the nursing profession, there is a paucity of research addressing the RTW experiences of nurses
with cancer and the factors influencing their successful RTW. To address these research gaps, the proposed
research training consists of two phases: F99 (predoctoral) and K00 (post-doctoral) phases. The applicant will
receive F99 training at the University of Pittsburgh and the F99 phase involves a national cross-sectional study
that aims to assess the self-reported work limitations, HRQOL, perceived workplace support, and perceived
successful RTW of nurses diagnosed with cancer within the past five years and have returned to clinical
positions. The K00 phase involves training in human-centered design principles and mobile health
interventions, applying the above training in developing a mHealth intervention prototype collaboratively with a
stakeholder panel consisting of various healthcare workers, healthcare workers with cancer, mHealth
intervention experts, and healthcare leaders, and evaluating the prototype’s acceptability and usability among
healthcare workers with cancer. This proposed project seeks to bridge the research gaps in understanding the
RTW experiences of nurses with cancer and it aims to develop tailored a mHealth intervention to support them
in returning to clinical positions successfully. Ultimately, the long-term goal of this project is to establish an
independent program of research that promotes healthy RTW experiences among cancer survivors, thus
contributing to improving their overall health and well-being.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10990090
- **Project number:** 1F99CA294268-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Kai-Lin You
- **Activity code:** F99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $50,474
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-12 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10990090

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10990090, Return-to-work issues in healthcare workers diagnosed with cancer: Investigation and Intervention Development (1F99CA294268-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10990090. Licensed CC0.

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