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Active and Pending Grants

Grants/Contract Related Activities

Active Grants

Clemow, Lynn PI: “ RCT of Controlled Breathing Effects on Ambulatory BP” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.  Ro1 HL083056-01A2; 2007 – 2012. Total project costs: $3,796,669.

The goal of the project is to test the efficacy of a guided breathing intervention on ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive patients drawn from primary care and specialty hypertension practices.

Cohen, D., PI: “Using illness visits to address health behavior advice” National Cancer Institute with CWRU (subcontract); 2004 - 2008; total project subcontract costs: $150,419.

This subcontract provides support for conversation analysis in a study which seeks to characterize the way a teachable moment arises and is constructed within physician-patient interaction and to evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy on patient recall of advice, motivation to modify behavior and change in health behavior.

Cohen D., PI: Prescription for Health Independence Evaluation Unit. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; 2004 - 2009; total project costs: $963,576.

This multiyear project is performing an ongoing content and process analysis of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded projects submitted by Practice Based Research Networks to the Prescription for Life: Promoting Health Behaviors Initiative. Methodologies include a comparative case analysis of projects, built on qualitative and quantitative data collected at the initiative, project, and practice levels.

Crabtree BF, PI: Trial to Enhance Adherence to Multiple Guidelines. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; 2002 – 2008; total project costs: $3,722,849.

The major goal of this grant is to test a tailored practice level intervention strategy to simultaneously improve the delivery of care for diabetes, hypertension, and asthma and for tobacco and cholesterol screening. A group randomized clinical trial of practices is being used to test the intervention.

Crabtree, BF, PI: “Enhancing Colorectal CA Screening Through Learning Teams,” National Cancer Institute; 2005 – 2010; total project costs: $2,997,356.

This study evaluates a tailored practice-level MAP/RAP intervention that seeks to enhance relationships among practice members in order to improve rates of colorectal cancer screening in primary care practice.

Crabtree, BF, PI: “ New Jersey Family Physicians Research Network – Cancer Center Support Grant”, 2005 – 2010; total project costs: $806,348.

This work supports the NJFPRN to offer investigators an opportunity to have direct access to community-based patients and physicians in order to translate research evidence into community-based primary care practices with a long-term vision of enhancing the quality of care patients receive in New Jersey.

Crabtree BF, (subcontract): "The TransforMED National Demonstration Project", American Academy of Family Physicians; 2006 - 2009; total project costs: $138,977.

This subcontract is part of a national project which will demonstrate new knowledge about practice change; payer, patient and practice outcomes using a detailed multi-method assessment of the process of practice change in selected practices across the United States.

Crosson, JC, Co-PI: Translating Research into Action for Diabetes II (TRIAD II). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (U58/CCU223529). 2004 - 2009; total award $4,275,000.

Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) is a national multi-center study that was created to determine how managed care systems influence the processes and outcomes of diabetes care. The study will describe and evaluate the quality of care and life among people with diabetes through the help from ten health plans and sixty-six provider groups.

Crosson, JC, PI: “Organizational self-assessment to improve diabetes care in primary care practices.” National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
R34 resubmission 5/15/08-4/20/2010. $468,000 (total award)

Purpose: To test the feasibility of an organizational change intervention focused on improving practice-level self understanding. The goal of the intervention is to improve adherence to evidence-based diabetes treatment guidelines through diabetes registry implementation and use. 

DiCicco-Bloom, B., PI: Institutional National Research Services Award (T32). Health Resources and Service Administration, 2003 – 2008; total project costs: $1,319,174.

The NRSA fellowship seeks to produce researchers who: 1) are knowledgeable about national, state, and local health promotion and disease prevention; 2) are capable of investigating the appropriateness, effectiveness, and quality of health care in primary care settings; and 3) contribute to ongoing clinical and health policy research. 

Ferrante Jeanne, PI: “Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in Obese Women”, NIH/NCI, 1 K07 CA101780-01A2 Dates: 2005 - 2009, Amount funded: $522,000 [direct], $563,760 [total].

The objectives of this multi-method research project are to quantify the extent of the association of obesity to delayed cancer screening, identify patient and physician barriers to cancer screening in obese women, and develop an interventional plan and materials to increase cancer screening in obese women. 

Ferrante Jeanne, PI: "Sister to Sister Navigator Program" (competing continuation) Susan G. Komen Foundation North Jersey Affiliate Dates: 2007 - 2008, Amount funded: $50,000.

The objective of this project is to determine the effectiveness of a breast health patient navigator in helping women overcome barriers in obtaining breast cancer screening, diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up services.

Ferrante, J., PI: Developing the Medical Home in Primary Care: Implementation of a Practice-based Patient Navigator”; UMDNJ Team Science Initiative; 2008 – 2009; total project costs:  $10,000.

This proposal will help supplement funding already obtained to conduct extensive qualitative analysis to gain real-time insights and understand the barriers and facilitators to the implementation and utilization of the patient navigator in the primary care setting.

Ferrante J (PI). "Sister to Sister Navigator Program" (competing continuation grant), April 1, 2008 - March 30, 2009, Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Jersey Affiliate, $46,900

The objective of this project is to determine the effectiveness of a breast health patient navigator in helping women overcome barriers in obtaining breast cancer screening, diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up services. 

Hudson, S., PI: "The use of patient navigators in increasing enrollment onto breast cancer clinical trials," New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research; 2007 - 2008; total project costs $14,000.

This grant will support Mafudia Bangura's (an MD/MPH student fellow) mentored training in health literacy and process evaluation for the academic year. She will identify barriers to patient enrollment in breast cancer clinical trials and assess whether patient navigation is an effective method of increasing accrual. Dr. Hudson is the primary mentor and PI for the grant.

Hudson, SV (Evaluator): Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation North Jersey Affiliate, Education Grant, Use and evaluation of an ethnically-matched patient navigator to increase minority patient recruitment to breast cancer clinical trials, $130,000, 2007 - 2009

This project seeks to increase participation by African Americans and Latinas in breast cancer clinical trials through use of an ethnically matched lay patient navigator at UMDNJ-NJMS and the University Hospital Cancer Center.

Hudson, SV (Evaluator): Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation North Jersey Affiliate, Education Grant, Moving Forward, $130,000, 2007 - 2009

This project launches a new patient navigation program using an oncology nurse that educates eligible African American and Latino patients about cancer clinical trials and strives to enroll more minority and medically underserved patients in NCI clinical trials for breast cancer at Newark Beth Israel Hospital.

Hudson SV, Disparities Core Manager: "Cancer Prevention, Control and Population Science," RWJ Foundation; 2007 - 2011, total project costs $12,000,000.

This grant will strengthen and expand the Cancer Institute of New Jersey's population science program in 1) Prevention and Control, 2)Cancer Survivorship, 3) Cancer Disparities, 4) Cancer Informatics and 5)Network Research (primary care and oncology). It will provide infrastructure and support for research studies and educational/outreach interventions statewide.

Hudson SV, Co-investigator: "Factors of Racially Disparate Breast Cancer Treatment," American Cancer Society, Research Grant# 07-291-01CPHPS, 2007 - 2011, total project costs $669,000.

The specific aims of the study are to (i) determine if racial differences exist in the treatment of early breast cancer between African American and White women, (ii) examine differences in delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation for early breast cancer between African Americans and Whites and whether factors predicting delays differ between them, and (iii) examine factors influencing choice between mastectomy and breast conserving surgery plus radiotherapy for women with early breast cancer and whether these factors differ by race.

Hudson SV, Co-investigator: "Non-clinical factors in disparate treatment for early breast cancer," Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Research Grant, 2006 - 2009, total project costs $248,926.

The study aims to explore the role of non-clinical factors in explaining racial disparity in the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy. Specifically, the study will evaluate important factors at the patient, care process, and health system levels.

Hudson SV, Research Methodologist: "Addressing Disparities in Cancer Care for Latino Medicare Beneficiaries," Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Demonstration Project, 2006 - 2010, Research Methodologist, total project costs $2,852,878.

This project evaluates whether an innovative facilitation program (targeting cancers of the prostate, colon/rectum, breast, and cervix) will improve cancer outcomes among Latino Medicare beneficiaries in the city of Newark, New Jersey. The goal is to reduce the disparities observed in screening, time to diagnoses and treatment services, by utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach to health care, incorporating systems thinking methodology.

Hudson, S., PI: "Life After Cancer: Examining Survivor Transitions from Specialist to Primary Care," National Cancer Institute; K01 CA131500-01A1; 2008 - 2012; total project costs $566,452 Update (October): Resubmission on 11/9/07 Update (February): This received a score of 122 and is projected to begin in July.

The overall goal of this career development application is to enable Dr. Hudson to become an independent researcher in cancer survivorship and primary care research. Using a combination of interviewing and survey research methodologies, the proposed studies build on each other to (1) explore early stage breast and prostate cancer survivors' attitudes toward primary care for follow-up cancer screening and (2) develop and validate a survey to be implemented in a study that describes primary care usage and assesses cognitive-affective, patient support and demographic factors that affect how survivors use specialists and primary care physicians for follow-up care.

Orzano AJ, PI: Capacity in Organizational Research, AHRQ (K08 HS014018) Career Development Award; 2004 – 2008; total project costs: $435,219.

This grant supports a variety of educational strategies designed to make Dr. Orzano an expert in relevant organizational performance measure and to enhance his skills in survey and multimethod research approaches. 

Scott, JG, PI: Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program, “Balancing Priorities: Healing in the context of evidence-based medicine”; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; 2004 – 2008; total project costs: $300,000.

This grant supports Dr. Scott to explore how the doctor-patient relationship promotes patient healing. 

Tallia, A.F., PI: “Academic Administrative Units in Primary Care”, 1 R18 DK067083-01A2, Health Resources and Services Administration; 2005 - 2008; total project costs: $741,915.

The major goals of the grant are to: 1) develop a state-wide quality of care research network; 2) support a critical mass of family medicine researchers, and 3) build the infrastructure necessary to support and sustain network-based quality of care research and primary care practice improvement research productivity.

Crabtree, BF, (subcontract PI): “Using learning teams for reflective adaptation for diabetes”; NIDDK; 2005 - 2010 subcontract project amount: $315,363

A subcontract with the University of Colorado (Paul Nutting, Principal Investigator) is comparing the magnitude and timing of the intervention effects with a state of the art quality improvement effort that focuses on diabetes. 

Crabtree, BF, PI: "Practice Redesign to Improve Depression Care – PRIDE Care" (subcontract), Funding agency: NIMH; 2006-2010; Project total costs: $167,732.

This subcontract will assist the main study in a group randomized trial To evaluate a Chronic Care Improvement intervention for implementing and sustaining chronic care office systems to improve depression care in 36 small, semi-autonomous, mixed-payer community-based primary care practices.

Pending grant applications (submitted)

DiCicco-Bloom, B., PI: Institutional National Research Services Award (T32). Health Resources and Service Administration, 2008 – 2010 – Submission Date – 2/29/08

The NRSA fellowship seeks to produce researchers who: 1) are knowledgeable about national, state, and local health promotion and disease prevention; 2) are capable of investigating the appropriateness, effectiveness, and quality of health care in primary care settings; and 3) contribute to ongoing clinical and health policy research.

DiCicco-Bloom, B., PI (Cunningham Collaborating PI): “Predictors and Outcomes of Referral to the Nurse Practitioner-Led Survivor's Program” The Cancer Institute of NJ Research Development Award Application $49,977

Cancer survivors have different medical and psychosocial needs than patients in active cancer treatment or in general primary care. Nurse practitioner-led transitional care designed to meet the specific needs of cancer survivors can improve patient outcomes.

Ferrante, Jeanne MD, MPH submitted a R01 grant to NCI titled “Increasing Cancer Screening in Obese Women Using Patient Navigation.”

This research is to evaluate the effectiveness of a patient navigator program in increasing breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates among obese women in primary care practices.

Lancaster, Debra, O'Malley, Dena submitted LOI to the Lance Armstrong Foundation's “Buildings and Bridges--A Cancer Survivor Educational Initiative for the Primary Care Workforce” and received notification in April that the Foundation would like a full proposal which they will submit in June.  

Scott, John G. PI, Cunningham, R, Collaborating PI; “Clinician-Patient Relationships in Breast Cancer Survivor Care” $49,992

The purpose of this pilot study is to discover themes in the illness experience and development of healing relationships in breast cancer survivors, to use those themes to refine and existing conceptual model of continuous healing relationships, and to compare and contrast patients' experiences with two different models of survivor care.

Scott, John G., PI submitted NCI R03 "Healing Relationships in Cancer Survivors." $100,000 over 2 years.  

The purpose of this grant is to explore healing relationships of survivors of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer with multiple health care professionals and to develop a survey instrument to measure healing relationships in cancer survivors.

Tallia A, PI: Academic Administrative Units in Primary Care (also known as the Title VII) National Research Service Award 9/1/2008 – 8/31/2011, $788,928

The Department of Family Medicine at UMDNJ/RWJMS proposes a three-year intensive project to enhance the community-based participatory research and public policy impact capacity of its family medicine research. Building on an exemplary record of academic productivity, this project will enable the Department to implement a multifaceted research infrastructure.

Wu, J, PI: Knowledge, attitudes and barriers related to human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination among underserved Latina women Merck Investigator-Initiated Studies Program 9/1/2008 – 8/31/2009, $142,594

The purpose of this study is to conduct in-depth interviews of underserved Latina women who are eligible for the HPV vaccine or are mothers of vaccine-eligible adolescents. Study findings will directly inform the design of culturally appropriate interventions aimed at increasing HPV vaccination rates among this population.

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