NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center Special Interest Projects

Special interest projects (SIPs) at the NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center (NYU-CUNY PRC), a partnership between NYU Langone and the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, generate innovative combinations of community- and clinic-based interventions for improved linkage to preventive care and chronic disease prevention and management. These projects focus on a topic of interest or a gap in scientific evidence, and funding is competitively awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to schools associated with the Prevention Research Center (PRC) network.

In our fourth consecutive five-year funding cycle, spanning 2024 to 2029, we are accelerating the translation of evidence-based and innovative programs to increase access to care and disrupt the cycle of health disparities . Specifically, we are proud to be part of three of the six current Thematic Research Networks, groups of multiple PRCs collaborating on a specific health topic, within the overall CDC PRC program. Our center is a collaborating center for the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) and the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network, and is a coordinating center for the Advancing Research in Immunization Services (ARISe) Network.

Below we describe current thematic network and SIP initiatives. Learn more about our diverse array of completed special interest and supplemental projects.

Disability and Health Data Analysis Collaboration

This two-year pilot project will answer questions about patterns of emergency department, inpatient, and community health service utilization for Medicaid members with a diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities only, severe mental illness only, or both. Lead investigators include Suzanne McDermott, PhD, from CUNY, and Charles J. Neighbors, PhD, MBA, from NYU Langone.

Addressing Disparities in Hypertension and Reducing Racial Inequity Through Engagement

Led by Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, Addressing Disparities in Hypertension and Reducing Racial Inequity Through Engagement (ADHERE) is an individual-level, two-arm randomized controlled trial that examines the implementation of a tailored community health worker (CHW)–led intervention on blood pressure control, discrimination-related outcomes, and mental wellbeing through addressing racial discrimination experienced by Black patients with hypertension.

Systemic Lupus Targets Related to Improving Vital Endpoints

Heather T. Gold, PhD, and Peter M. Izmirly, MD, have been awarded a SIP titled STRIVE: Systemic Lupus Targets Related to Improving Vital Endpoints. They will leverage and enhance their extant and phenotypically well-characterized clinical registry and biobank of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus to identify targets for interventions to improve clinical and self-management of this condition. The study will provide unique insights to improve care for patients with lupus while aiming to reduce disparities and open new avenues for research.

New York City Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network

Under the direction of Chau Trinh-Shevrin, DrPH, the New York City Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) is one of nine funded CPCRN centers across the United States. First funded in 2019, our mission is to engage local communities to advance evidence-based solutions to prevent and reduce the burden of cancer in New York City.

In the current CPCRN cycle, we are conducting two core research projects. The first is an implementation evaluation designed to assess factors that impact the reach, effectiveness, and adoption of clinical decision support and adapted materials to improve lung cancer screening. The second is a formative research study to improve human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine uptake among high-risk and understudied communities.

Managing Epilepsy Well Network Collaborating Center: UPLIFT 2.0—Replicating a Depression Self-Management Program for Diverse People with Epilepsy

In this renewal of funding as a Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network Collaborating Center, investigators Tanya M. Spruill, PhD, and Daniel Friedman, MD, are conducting a replication trial with Project UPLIFT (Using Practice and Learning to Increase Favorable Thoughts), a telephone-based mindfulness intervention for adults who have epilepsy and elevated depressive symptoms. In the previous funding cycle of the MEW Network, they adapted UPLIFT for Hispanic people with epilepsy and conducted a randomized trial to evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and effects. Building on their promising findings, Dr. Spruill and Dr. Friedman are now comparing the effects of UPLIFT versus telephone-based support groups on depressive symptoms, quality of life, and seizures in a larger, more diverse sample of English- and Spanish-speaking people with epilepsy. They will also conduct focus groups with epilepsy clinic providers and staff to explore barriers and facilitators to adoption of UPLIFT in clinical settings. Learn more about the MEW Network.

Gauging men’s reaction to relabeling of GG1 prostate cancer and understanding of pathology reports

There is a critical research gap in the perspective of diverse patient populations on prostate cancer nomenclature and pathology reporting. We are addressing this gap through 3 key approaches: (1) a qualitative study of patient perspectives on prostate cancer nomenclature and preferences for a patient-centered pathology report, (2) a discrete choice experiment to determine the impact of changes in nomenclature for low-grade prostate cancer, and (3) a randomized study to test the usefulness of alternative wording and patient-centered supplements in pathology reports. The expected outcomes of this study will advance the field by studying the optimal prostate cancer nomenclature and pathology reporting in diverse patient populations. Stacey Loeb, MD, serves as NYU site PI on this SIP housed at the University of California San Francisco Prevention Research Center and led by PI Matthew R. Cooperberg, MD, MPH.