HDRP Newsletter, September 2021

Research Spotlight: Telehealth

Telehealth, also referred to as telemedicine, is defined as “the exchange of medical information from one site to another through electronic communication to improve a patient’s health.”

Telehealth can be classified based on the interaction and/or the communication methods used. The interaction refers to who is involved (for example, a patient and a provider, or two providers). Communication is divided into synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous communication is the delivery of health information in real-time (e.g., a phone call or videoconference). Asynchronous communication is the delivery of health information not occurring at the same time (e.g., email or text message exchanges).

Technological advances, coupled with changes in healthcare needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a substantial increase in the use of telehealth. This uptick has been seen across care settings including primary care, oncology care, and other specialty care. While its use has been critical, a strong evidence base is needed to determine best practices and under what situations telehealth approaches can most effectively be used in cancer care.

NCI and HDRP are supporting research to identify and improve telehealth for cancer care delivery. Earlier this year, NCI issued a request for applications (RFA) on the topic of telehealth: Centers on Telehealth Research for Cancer-Related Care (RFA-CA-21-029). Funded Centers will be dedicated to advancing a national telehealth research agenda focused on improving cancer-related care and outcomes across the cancer control continuum. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is now closed and applications are under review.

The recent notice of special interest (NOSI) Telehealth in Cancer Care (NOT-CA-21-043) highlights NCI’s interest in receiving investigator-initiated applications for conducting research on the use of telehealth in cancer-related care. Research priorities include the following:

• Evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth interventions aiming to increase cancer screening rates, improve the accuracy and timeliness of cancer diagnoses, and initiate appropriate cancer treatment.
• Improve treatment and management of cancer and/or the provision of palliative care.
• Evaluate the impact of telehealth on patient, family, and caregiver experiences with care and quality of life in the context of cancer care.
• Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of telehealth interactions in promoting patient-centered communication.
• Examine the cost-effectiveness of telehealth in cancer-related care.
• Develop telehealth care models for underserved communities.
• Asses how telehealth can affect health outcomes and equity in the delivery of cancer-related healthcare services.
• Determine best practices for scaling and sustaining telehealth in cancer care.

HDRP also sponsors a Telehealth and Cancer Care Delivery Webinar Series. Join us for the next presentation in this series, at a date and time to be determined: Optimizing Telehealth Across the Cancer Care Continuum During the COVID 19 National Emergency, featuring Dr. Ana Maria Lopez, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.

To learn more about telehealth research initiatives NCI, visit HDRP’s new Digital Healthcare webpage's telehealth section or email Dr. Roxanne Jensen for more information.

Announcements

2021-2022 NCI/AcademyHealth Visiting Scholar – Dr. Virginia Sun

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Virginia Sun is the 2021-2022 NCI/AcademyHealth Visiting Scholar! Dr. Sun is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Sciences and the Department of Surgery at City of Hope. Her research is focused on developing and testing interventions to improve outcomes and healthcare delivery for patients with cancer and their support persons/informal caregivers. This program of research focuses on people undergoing cancer surgery and treatment of solid tumor malignancies, cancer survivorship, and issues facing older adults with cancer. During her time at NCI, Dr. Sun will work with Dr. Ashley Wilder Smith to develop a cancer and aging framework for healthcare delivery research. Her work is expected to inform development of system-level interventions to improve the care of older adults with cancer and their caregivers.

We thank everyone who applied for the 2021-2022 NCI/AcademyHealth Visiting Scholars Program! To learn more about this program, visit our website.

Policy Updates

NIH Expanding Usage of Notices of Special Interest (NOT-OD-19-107)

This notice informs the extramural community that NIH is expanding and formalizing the use of notices of special interest (NOSI) posted in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts to announce interest in specific scientific research topics.

How Does a NOSI Work?

A NOSI is a standard, formal format for NIH institutes to share and update their research priorities. A NOSI describes specific topics of interest and will direct applicants to one or more active notice of funding opportunities for application submission. A NOSI is not a NOFO and is listed as a notice in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. Applicants should read NOSIs carefully for any special requirements related to that specific announcement.

For more information about NOSIs sponsored by HDRP, visit the funding opportunities page of our website and read more in our Funding Opportunities section of this newsletter.

COVID-19 Updates and Funding Opportunities

NIH is working to accelerate the development and delivery of therapeutic interventions, vaccines, and diagnostics for COVID-19. For more information, visit the latest research information from NIH.

NCI is mobilizing its scientific experts and cutting-edge resources to conduct research on COVID-19. For information about ongoing research initiatives, visit NCI COVID-19 Research Initiatives.

NCI COVID-19 Funding Opportunities

Click the links below for information about these funding opportunities, eligibility, and the application and review process.

• PA-20-172 — Long-term Effects of Disasters on Health Care Systems Serving Health Disparity Populations (R01- Clinical Trial Optional)
• NOT-OD-21-180 — Clarification and Guidance for Applicants Preparing Applications for the Fall 2021 Due Dates During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• NOT-OD-21-179 — Extending the Special Exception to the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Post-submission Material Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: May 2022 Council

For information about other funding opportunities for COVID-19 research at NCI, visit NCI Funding Announcements and Notices for COVID-19.

For information about funding opportunities sponsored by other institutes and centers at NIH, visit the latest research information from NIH.

COVID-19 Information for NIH Applicants and Grant Recipients

NIH is deeply concerned for the health and safety of people involved in NIH research, and about the effects on the biomedical enterprise in the areas affected by the HHS-declared public health emergency for COVID-19. Due to the potential exceptional impact, we want to assure our grant recipient community that NIH will be doing its part to help you continue your research.

For up-to-date information, guidance, and resources, visit the NIH Applicant/Recipient COVID-19 Update History webpage.

COVID-19 is an evolving situation and NIH/NCI is committed to keeping you informed.

• What people with cancer should know: Coronavirus: What People with Cancer Should Know
• The latest public health information from CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Guidance for cancer researchers: COVID-19 Information for Cancer Researchers
• Get the Latest research information from NIH: NIH COVID-19 Research

Requests for Applications (RFAs)

This section includes links to Requests for Applications for healthcare delivery research.

A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials (CUSP2CT; U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), RFA-CA-21-057

Contact: LeeAnn Bailey
Earliest Start: July, 2022

Data, Evaluation and Coordinating Center for: A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials (CUSP2CT) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), RFA-CA-21-058

Contact: LeeAnn Bailey
Earliest Start: July, 2022

HDRP Funding Opportunities

This section includes links to funding opportunities for healthcare delivery research.

Funding Opportunities

Surgical Disparities Research, PAR-20-079 (R01)

Contact: Brenda Adjei
Expiration Date: July 6, 2022

Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake, PAR-19-360 (R01), PAR-19-358 (R21), PAR-19-359 (R03)

Contact: Veronica Chollette
Expiration Date: September 8, 2022 (R01 and R21); July 17, 2022 (R03)
View the archived webinar.

End-of-Life and Palliative Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) with Serious Illnesses, PAR-19-136 (R01), PAR-19-153 (R21)

Contact: Ashley Wilder Smith
Expiration Date: January 8, 2022

Increasing Uptake of Evidence-Based Screening in Diverse Adult Populations, PA-18-932 (R01)

Contact: Erica Breslau
Expiration Date: May 8, 2022

Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health, PAR-19-274 (R01), PAR-19-275 (R21), PAR-19-276 (R03)

Contact: Gila Neta, Wynne E. Norton, and David Chambers (DCCPS Implementation Science Team)
Expiration Date: May 8, 2022

Intervening with Cancer Caregivers to Improve Patient Health Outcomes and Optimize Health Care Utilization, PAR-19-352 (R01), PAR-19-355 (R21)

Contact: Michelle Mollica
Expiration Date: September 8, 2022
View the archived webinar.

Advancing Research to Develop Improved Measures and Methods for Understanding Multimorbidity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional), PAR-20-179 (R01)

Contact: Bryan Kim
Expiration Date: September 8, 2023

Identifying Innovative Mechanisms or Interventions that Target Multimorbidity and Its Consequences (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) PAR-20-180 (R01)

Contact: Bryan Kim
Expiration Date: September 8, 2023

Modular R01s in Cancer Control and Population Sciences (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (Reissue of PAR-18-869) PAR-21-190 (R01)

Contact: Scott Rogers
Expiration Date: March 8, 2024

Notices of Special Interest (NOSI)

NOSI: NCI’s Interest in Research to Improve Interprofessional Teamwork and Coordination During Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment, NOT-CA-19-059

Contact: Sallie Weaver
Expiration Date: January 8, 2022
View the archived webinar.

NOSI: Research to Improve the Interpretation of Patient-reported Outcomes at the Individual Patient Level for Use in Clinical Practice, NOT-OD-20-079

Contact: Ashley Wilder Smith
Expiration Date: May 8, 2023

NOSI: De-implementation of Ineffective or Low-value Clinical Practices Along the Cancer Care Continuum, NOT-CA-20-021

Contact: Erica Breslau
Expiration Date: May 10, 2022
View the archived webinar.

NOSI: Health Services Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NOT-MD-20-011

Contact: Brenda Adjei
Expiration Date: September 8, 2022

NOSI: Tailoring Follow-up Care for Survivors Using Risk-stratified Pathways, NOT-CA-21-019

Contact: Michelle Mollica
Expiration Date: February 5, 2023

NOSI: Research on Oral Anticancer Agents in the Contexts of Utilization, Adherence, and Health Care Delivery, NOT-CA-20-026

Contact: Kate Castro
Expiration Date: May 8, 2023

NOSI: Navigating Pediatric to Adult Health Care: Lost in Transition, NOT-HD-21-027

Contact: Michelle Mollica
Expiration Date: January 8, 2024

NOSI: Telehealth in Cancer Care (R01 and R21 Clinical Trial Optional), NOT-CA-21-043

Contact: Gurvaneet Randhawa
Expiration Date: March 8, 2024

NOSI: New Information Technology-enabled Care Delivery Models to Improve Depression Care in Cancer, NOT-CA-21-085

Contact: Gurvaneet Randhawa
Expiration Date: March 8, 2024

NOSI: Improving Patient Adherence to Treatment and Prevention Regimens to Promote Health, NOT-OD-21-1006

Contact: Janet de Moor and Wendy Nelson
Expiration Date: June 8, 2024

NOSI: Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional), NOT-MD-21-016

Contact: Brenda Adjei
Earliest Estimated Start Date: April 1, 2022

NOSI: Notice of NIH Participation in Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science, NOT-OD-21-011

Contact: Veronica Chollette
Earliest Estimated Start Date: April 1, 2022
Expiration Date: TBD

For more information about funding including additional notice of funding opportunities, please visit our Funding page.

HDRP Workshops

Virtual Workshop on Addressing Social Risks in Cancer Care Delivery

On October 14, 15, and 18, 2021, from 1-5pm ET, DCCPS is conducting a virtual meeting to discuss research needs for addressing social risks in cancer care, with a focus on food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation barriers. This three-day NCI workshop will engage diverse stakeholders in panel presentations and participatory discussions to identify and understand research gaps, challenges, and opportunities to advance this scientific area. Register for this exciting workshop now!

2021 New Grantee Workshop

The 2021 New Grantee (Virtual) Workshop will be held November 17-18, 2021. DCCPS will bring together new investigators who received their first R01 in 2020 and 2021 to build a strong and vibrant cancer control research program and to help advance their careers. Register here and contact Tonya Parker for additional information.

Postponed until 2022: Workshop on Advancing Rapid-cycle Research to Improve Cancer Care Delivery

HDRP has postponed the webinar and workshop on Advancing Rapid-Cycle Research to Improve Cancer Care Delivery in collaboration with the Implementation Science Team (IS). The goals of this workshop are to bring together researchers, clinicians, patients, survivors, advocates, administrators, and payors representing a broad range of expertise to describe key features, identify barriers, and discuss opportunities for advancing rapid-cycle research to optimize cancer care delivery.

Additional details about the workshop will be available soon on the News and Events webpage and on the Implementation Science Team website.

Postponed until 2022: Workshop on Post-treatment Surveillance for Recurrence in Patients Treated with Curative Intent

HDRP has postponed the virtual Workshop on Post-treatment Surveillance for Recurrence in Patients Treated with Curative Intent. This workshop will build on reviews of relevant clinical practice guidelines and descriptive studies on current practice patterns, as well as an in-depth data extraction from a 2019 Cochrane review of comparative studies of specific surveillance interventions across cancer types. The goal of this workshop is to identify and prioritize key research gaps for surveillance regimens, which will inform NCI research activities. More information about this event will be available on the News and Events webpage.

For information about HDRP’s previous events, visit the Events webpage.

Upcoming Webinars

Telehealth Cyber Discussion Webinar Series

Postponed (TBD): Optimizing Telehealth Across the Cancer Care Continuum During the COVID 19 National Emergency, Dr. Ana Maria Lopez, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.

SEER-MHOS Webinar

October 13, 2021 – 1-2PM: This SEER-MHOS webinar will feature researchers from a wide range of backgrounds providing tips and tricks for developing SEER-MHOS projects. Register here.

For other upcoming events please check our News & Events page. Events are updated regularly. To view our archived events, check our Events page.

Data and Resources

This section features information about a select number of HDRP’s data resources. A complete list of HDRP’s data and resources is available here.

SEER-Medicare, SEER-Medicaid, SEER-CAHPS, SEER-MHOS

SEER-CAHPS: We have recently updated the years of data in our data resource. SEER-CAHPS now includes the following years of data:

• SEER cancer registry data 1999-2017
• Medicare CAHPS surveys 1997-2019
• Medicare Claims data 1999-2019

SEER-Medicaid: We have released the initial SEER-Medicaid linkage and have started taking applications for the new data, which include cancer cases diagnosed from 2006-2013 and Medicaid enrollment data from 2006-2013.

SEER-Medicare: We have added another year of Medicare data to the SEER-Medicare linkage; the linkage now includes cancer cases diagnosed from 1999-2017 and Medicare data from 1999-2019.

SEER-MHOS:

• An updated SEER-MHOS linkage is being finalized, and we hope to have updated data available for researchers soon.
• Register for an upcoming SEER-MHOS webinar on 10/13, 1-2pm ET. The panel will feature researchers from a wide range of backgrounds providing tips and tricks for developing SEER-MHOS projects. Register here.

To learn more about the SEER linkages, visit SEER-Medicare, SEER-Medicaid, SEER-CAHPS, and SEER-MHOS.

MEPS Experiences with Cancer Survivorship Supplement

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) cancer working group continues to discuss a new Experience with Cancer supplemental questionnaire for a future MEPS. New questions on this supplement may include use of navigation services, participation in survivorship care programs, chronic/long-term symptoms, social isolation, and conversations with health care providers about clinical trial participation. For more information, visit MEPS.

Employment and Training Opportunities

HDRP is excited to announce that we are recruiting for the following employment opportunities:

• Cancer Research Training Award, Office of the Associate Director: This fellowship opportunity includes helping to coordinate, evaluate, and manage highly visible programmatic projects in the Office of the Associate Director and across HDRP. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: managing planning activities for major funded research initiatives in HDRP; supporting strategic planning efforts; maintaining project databases and preparing summary reports; promoting HDRP activities through health communication and social media; and contributing to specific areas of scientific research within HDRP. The Fellow would also help manage, coordinate, and plan special projects with HDRP’s Associate Director, Deputy Associate Director, and Program Directors, including preparing and organizing presentations and proposals; conducting literature searches; and coordinating the evaluation of the HDRP grant portfolio. Additional duties include participating in and assisting with HDRP-supported scientific meetings, webinars, and other project management tasks.
• Cancer Research Training Award, Outcomes Research Branch: This fellowship opportunity includes helping on projects focused on survivorship issues for individuals living with advanced and metastatic cancers. Project activities may include systematic reviews; analyses of large datasets, including the SEER-CAHPS and SEER-MHOS data resources; survey data analysis; presentation and publication of findings; and other activities. For this position, experience developing and executing analytical plans for large data sets, interpreting results, and presenting findings results is required. Fellows are expected to design and conduct their own research, in addition to collaborating and contributing to ongoing work, with mentorship and support from staff in the Healthcare Delivery Research Program and the Office of Cancer Survivorship. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in scientific seminars, meetings, and colloquia.

Visit the Employment and Training webpage to learn more about HDRP Employment and Training opportunities.