Vanderbilt University Medical Center radiologist Lucy Spalluto, M.D., in partnership with Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center Chief Executive Officer Katina Beard, was recently awarded a $9,968 Community-Engaged Research Grant through the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core (CERC).
Their project, “The Promotora Navigator – Assessing the Impact of a Culturally Appropriate Patient Navigator for Screening Mammography and Follow-Up,” aims to address disparities in screening mammography for the local Hispanic community. A Promotora Navigator will guide Hispanic patients throughout the screening mammography and follow-up process. Dr. Spalluto and her colleagues will assess the impact of the Promotora Navigator on women’s beliefs and self-efficacy in regards to screening mammography and the impact of the Promotora Navigator’s delivery of mammography results.
“Community partners will benefit from education provided to office staff in promotora techniques and the development of a sustainable model for recruiting women in developing minority groups for screening mammography,” said Dr. Spalluto. “Academic partners will benefit from patient-centered outcomes data on the impact of the education sessions on breast cancer beliefs, knowledge, and self-efficacy and the impact of the Promotora Navigator providing screening mammography results.”
Dr. Spalluto and her partners in the Mid-South Division of the American Cancer Society designed this project with the assistance of funding provided by a CERC Partnership Development Grant awarded last year. Additional community stakeholders including Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center and the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center Office of Patient and Community Education assisted in refining the proposal.
Community-Engaged Research Grants engage academic and community partners in establishing a pilot project that addresses community health-related issues. Funding supports research, data collection and analysis, compensation to study participants and distribution of study results for the duration of the pilot.
“We are very excited to be awarded this grant in partnership with Dr. Spalluto,” added Beard. “Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center looks forward to working together to improve access to healthcare in our community.”
