Lavanya Vasudevan, Ph.D., assistant professor of community and family medicine, was awarded and will be the PI or Co-PI on two NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Awards (R21), totaling nearly $700,000 in support. Project information is below.
NIH – National Cancer Institute
Title: "An mHealth case management system for reducing pediatric cancer treatment abandonment"
PIs: Lavanya Vasudevan, Ph.D., Kristin M. Schroeder, M.D., MPH
Project Period: 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2020
Description: Pediatric cancer in developing settings is associated with high rates of treatment abandonment, and consequently low survivorship. We propose to adapt and evaluate the effectiveness of an mHealth case management system that facilitates implementation of protocol-driven treatment with the goal of improving patient follow up while reducing treatment abandonment in developing settings. Data from this feasibility study will inform the design of a large effectiveness trial to measure the impact of the mHealth case management application and standardized protocols on pediatric cancer treatment abandonment rates and clinical outcomes such as event-free survival.
NIH – Fogarty International Center
Title: "mHealth-supported telecolposcopy for cervical cancer programs in low-resource settings"
PI: Lavanya Vasudevan, Ph.D.
Project period: 07/15/2018 – 06/30/2020
Description: Early screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions is a cost-effective strategy for reducing preventable mortality in cervical cancer; however, the need for an additional colposcopy visit prior to treatment is a bottleneck for women with suspected cancer or pre-cancer in Peru. In this study, we seek to evaluate the efficacy of an mHealth-supported telecolposcopy approach for boosting rates of colposcopies among women in community settings in Lima Province, where access to expert colposcopists is limited. Results will inform a randomized controlled trial measuring clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the mHealth-supported telecolposcopy approach, and in the future, integration of the mHealth-supported telecolposcopy approach within the national cervical cancer program in Peru with support from the Ministry of Health.