CU Anschutz receives NIH Center grant to advance implementation science and cancer control

Drs. Russell Glasgow, Cathy Bradly and colleagues at the Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes and Delivery Science (ACCORDS) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado have received an NIH Center grant from the National Cancer Institute to advance implementation science and cancer control (1P50CA244688-01).

This program is supported by funding provided through the Cancer MoonshotSM. The Center grant is funded for a total cost of over $3.8 million dollars over 5 years with additional funds contributed by local partners.

The Center is one of six funded nationally, and its purpose is to advance implementation science, to enhance cancer prevention and control in Colorado and nationally, and to develop and provide resources and education in these areas.

For example, the Center will assist community medical practices with decisions about lung cancer screening referrals for their patients. In addition, the Center will create and test guides and resources for practical application for both cancer researchers and community/clinical leaders.

The grant is entitled "Pragmatic implementation science approaches to assess and enhance the value of cancer prevention and control in rural primary care" and will focus on assessment and understanding of costs and value of cancer prevention and control activities (e.g. different screening activities).

These issues will be assessed from the perspective of patients and family members; clinicians and health care teams; and administrators and health systems. Center activities will facilitate adoption and better, faster implementation of interventions to prevent and treat cancer.

Key sponsors of the Center include ACCORDS funded by the School of Medicine (SOM) and Children's Hospital Colorado, The University of Colorado Cancer Center, and the Data Science to Patient Value Program funded by the SOM.

Partnerships between the Center and several institutions include the State Networks of Colorado Ambulatory Practices & Partners, American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and the University of California San Diego.