ACCESS: Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination through the integration of Screen-and-treat Services

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PROJECT SUMMARY My proposal is a submission in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as NOT-CA-23-038. I am an Assistant Professor of Medical Sociology and Anthropology and a Research Fellow at the Center for Translation and Implementation Science (CTAIR) at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. My research focuses on palliative care (PC), cancer and women’s health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This administrative supplement mentor award will provide me with the support needed to achieve the following 3 key career development objectives for research in LMIC settings: (1) Sharpen my skills in community based participatory research, stakeholder’s engagement and program integration especially in PC clinical settings; (2) Acquire in-depth knowledge of implementation frameworks and methods to help close the gap between implementation science and implementation practice; (3) Acquire skills and content expertise in PC research. I will conduct research and work with my mentors for a minimum of 40% of my time within the Nigerian Implementation Science Alliance-Model Innovation and Research Centers (NISA-MIRCs), a practice-based research network across the six geographical regions in Nigeria. To accomplish these objectives, I have put together a mentoring team including: (1) a US Primary Mentor, Prof. Gregory Aarons from University of California, San Diego who is an expert in Implementation Science; (2) a LMIC Primary Mentor, Prof. Echezona Ezeanolue from the University of Nigeria, who is an expert in community-based participatory research and clinical research; (3) a LMIC Co-Mentor, Dr Tonia Onyeka from University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital [UNTH], who is an expert in PC research and practice; (4) a LMIC Peer-Mentor, Dr John Olawepo from Center of Translation and Implementation Research [CTAIR], who is an expert in health systems integration. My team of mentors will support my capacity building and research project, which includes a pilot study to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted and integrated PC package to promote wellbeing of women living with HIV (WLHIV) and cervical cancers. My specific aims are to: (1) Co-create and develop feasible, culturally adapted, and sustainable PC service package with WLHIV and cervical cancer from the NISA-MIRCs. We will adapt core elements of PC services recommended in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline using well-established mixed method approaches; and (2) Pilot the adapted multicomponent PC package to determine feasibility and acceptability at two NISA-MIRCs facilities. During the year of this administrative award, my Nigeria- and US-based mentors, co-mentor, and peer-mentor will provide additional training and guidance in their areas of expertise including implementation science, community based participatory research, PC, and health systems integration.