Developmental Core The following sections describe our major developmental activities over the next five years. 8.a. Faculty Recruitment Establishing Priorities for Faculty Recruitment: Early in our U54 Planning Process, we formed a Task Force to begin to map out topics that we would include in our Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research Focus. The Task Force on Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research that met in the summer and fall of 2006 included: Timothy Ahles, MSKCC Psychiatry Mary Alpaugh, CCNY Biology Carol Brown, MSKCC Gynecological Oncology Jack Burkhalter, MSKCC Behavioral Sciences Karen Hubbard, CCNY Biology Edward Keller, CCNY Media and Communication Arts Yuelin Li, MSKCC Psychiatry and Biostatistics David Lounsbury, MSKCC Behavioral Sciences Sara Olson, MSKCC Epidemiology Lucas Parra, CCNY Biomedical Engineering Bruce Rapkin, MSKCC Behavioral Sciences Manish Shah, MSKCC Gastroenterology Ann Marie Yali, CCNY Psychology Anne Zauber, MSKCC Epidemiology This Task Force generated themes described below. Each of these themes was identified as an area of priority by investigators at one or both institutions. In some instances, we do not have faculty partners identified who are working in a given area at both institutions. However, through regular symposia and on-going planning, we will develop recommendations for continuing development in each of these areas: Community-Based Intervention and Dissemination Research Rationale: We plan to recruit additional faculty with expertise in community intervention research. Investigators may be housed in MSKCC Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Medicine, Epidemiology, or other area appropriate to their expertise. Additional faculty in community intervention is also a priority at CCNY in departments including Psychology, Adult Education, and Community Health &Social Medicine. Next Steps: We will seek scholars interested in working with diverse underserved communities, to improve standards of care, promote access, and encourage healthy lifestyles. Neurocognitive Impacts of Cancer Therapeutics Rationale: Drug induced senescence in the brain may lead to cognitive dysfunction. In their pilot project, Drs. Hubbard, Alhes and Ragnauth propose to identify gene expression patterns correlated with cognitive decline following chemotherapy. Faculty Recruitment Needs: Additional expertise in ^ molecular biology, neuroscience and gerontological oncology would help to advance this work. Participatory Research and the Identification of Biomarkers and Genetic Risks Rationale: As biomedical research seeks to identify more indicators of risk for cancer incidence or morbidity, it is necessary to maintain and follow cohorts representing distinct populations at different apparent risk. Participatory action research may be a promising way to engage and retain cohorts. Faculty Recruitment Needs: Specialists in molecular genetics, population genetics/epidemiology, bioinformatics/biostatisticians as well as and community-based participatory researchers. Increasing the Diversity of Patients on Cancer Clinical Trials Rationale: This goal is a central area of concern at MSKCC. CCNY scholars who study communications, decision-making, cultural beliefs, health economics and medical ethics could all contribute to this focus. In this application, Drs. Weiss and Binz-Sharf propose a pilot study examine primary care providers'role in improving access to trials. Faculty Recruitment Needs: CCNY is presently recruiting scholars in health economics and medical ethics that could contribute to this line of research. Biopsychosocial Research on Stress Rationale: Faculty expressed interest in examining the impact of chronic minority stress at the cellular level. Research would encompass biology of different cellular mechanisms as well as psychology of stress, coping and resilience. Many Task Force members saw ways to get involved in this area, including epidemiologist Olson and psychologists Burkhalter, Rosario and Yali. Faculty Recruitment Needs: The Task Force discussed the need for cohort studies in this area, involving molecular physiologists, epidemiologists, psychologists, and sociologists, and neuroendocrinologists. Next steps would be to specify target populations to consider, as well as ways to define minority stress. Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Psychosocial and Behavioral Interventions Rationale: Psychosocial interventions often demonstrate substantial individual differences in responses. It may be possible to model intervention outcomes more accurately using algorithms to identify patterns in data. Co-Pi of the PCOP Lounsbury recently received an NIDA RO3 to conduct system dynamics modeling of smoking cessation in primary care. Systems dynamics is a simulation methodology valuable for assessing health and human services policies. Li and Rapkin at MSKCC are also highly interested in this area. Faculty Recruitment Needs: There may be potential to add faculty to the CCNY Center for Advanced Computing Algorithms.
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