VCU receives $9M grant to establish Cancer Control Equity Research Center

VCU has been awarded a five-year, $9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to establish a Cancer Control Equity Research Center.

The focus will be on health outcomes for people living in HUD-administered income-based housing communities in the Greater Richmond region and Hampton Roads.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment in the history of our organization,” said Bernard Fuemmeler, associate director of population sciences and the director of research in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health at the VCU School of Medicine. “I have no doubt that this center will synergize health disparities research across VCU and become a national beacon of success for advancing health equity research throughout the commonwealth and beyond.”

Adults in under-resourced communities are placed at disproportionate risk for cancer, facing a higher incidence of the disease compared to their more affluent counterparts. Despite this, there is a gap in evidence-based methods to enhance cancer prevention services in these communities.

Addressing this disparity is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing cancer rates among vulnerable populations.

The collaborative research effort brings together experts from VCU’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine and School of Public Health and the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University.

The project will be co-led by Fuemmeler, Gordon D. Ginder, M.D., chair in cancer research at VCU Massey, Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of social and behavioral sciences at the VCU School of Public Health, and Brynn Sheehan, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU.

The project team will work with other researchers, community co-leaders and the Housing Collaborative Community Advisory Board to establish the Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (VA-ACCERT) Center.

Community members will serve as active collaborators and co-investigators, with a strong emphasis on authentic community engagement and partnership. All interventions will be designed collaboratively with HCCAB and community co-leads. In the first year, the team will develop and deliver training programs for HUD staff, with the specific goal of addressing and reducing exposure to discrimination at both the individual and community levels.

“This work is truly transformative because it centers the voices and needs of the communities we serve,” Sheehan said. “By engaging directly with residents, we’re ensuring that the solutions we implement are not just impactful, but deeply meaningful for those who live here. Through our partnerships and interventions, we aim to break the cycle of disparities and pave the way for generations to experience better health and health outcomes.”