Goals

The overall goal of this program is to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and improve outcomes, with special emphasis on cancer disparities and outreach to underserved populations. The program’s activities focus on research across the cancer control continuum (from prevention to cancer survivorship) that addresses important areas such as cancer screening, healthy lifestyle and weight management, financial toxicity, and patient-reported outcomes (e.g., fatigue, quality of life, etc.). The program integrates evidence-based health behavior change approaches with innovative interventions targeting community, health system, and individual levels. Interventions include both in-person, remote, and technology-based approaches. This program also has close integration with the Dissemination and Implementation program within the division.The program also provides research training for undergraduate/graduate/medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and Early Stage Investigators through the Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center training programs and the Heersink School of Medicine medical student opportunities, T32 programs across the university, Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, and the Center for Exercise Medicine.Further, multiple faculty members are leaders and active memvers in the UAB O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, enhancing the multidisciplinary aspect and impact of our research program. 

Current Projects

Current projects include behavioral interventions throughout the cancer continuum (primary and secondary prevention to survivorship and palliative care), prevention trials, observational and outcomes studies, cancer surveillance, community-based research, and implementation and dissemination science. There is a strong track record in the capacity building of community health workers and volunteers. The program has a significant number of scientists with a research focus on racial/ethnic minorities and rural populations in the US, as well as on underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries. The Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Facility and the Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center are integral parts of this program.