THE NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program in collaboration with Pfizer Global Medical Grants announced they have awarded funding to nine projects that use clinical care pathways to implement quality improvement initiatives along the continuum of care for underserved patients with breast cancer. Some of the selected projects examine care choices, including how to optimize chemotherapy delivery, manage symptoms, adhere to guidelines, improve clinical pathways, and utilize shared decision-making. Other projects concentrate on specific patient groups, such as African Americans, younger women, and patients living in rural areas.
Julia Perkins Smith, MD
More than 90 letters of intent were submitted to the Request for Proposals, and subsequently 23 full proposals were requested for review. “The volume of proposals submitted speaks to the significant unmet need in this area,” said Julia Perkins Smith, MD, Vice President, Oncology Medical North America, Pfizer. “We were very impressed with the quality of the proposals we received from academic and community medical systems across the country and are very excited to announce the grant recipients.”
The projects began in January 2018 and will run for 2 years. Each program is required to provide evidence of scalability and sustainability. Data based on the project outcomes will be evaluated and disseminated in early 2020.
Winning Proposals
A REVIEW COMMITTEE, led by the NCCN and including a medical representative from Pfizer, approved the following proposals:
- East Carolina University: Improving the Quality of Breast Cancer Care in an Underserved Rural Setting
- Emory University School of Medicine: Care Pathway Development, Implementation, and Assessment to Improve Outcomes in African American Breast Cancer Patients
- Intermountain Healthcare: Improving Clinical Pathways and Care Delivery in Breast Cancer
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: Reducing Discontinuation Rate of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Through Symptom Monitoring and Management
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: Optimizing Delivery of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy to Breast Cancer Patients Who Are Appropriate Candidates at Johns Hopkins
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine: Innovating Patient-Facing Care Pathways in Breast Cancer Using the 4R model [4R = Right Information/Care/Patient/Time]
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine: Statewide Learning Collaborative to Improve Adherence to Breast Cancer Guidelines
- Roswell Park Alliance Foundation: Breast Cancer Pathways Impact on Shared Decision-Making and Patient Experience in Academic and Community Practices
- University of Nebraska Medical Center: Clinical Pathway for the Timely and Appropriate Treatment and Support of Young Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer. ■
