Translating Research Into Practice

This community-engaged program will demonstrate the feasibility of community-academic
partnerships to provide innovations in information sharing and systems implementation
targeted to reduce treatment disparities. Patient navigators will be able to utilize the
patient database to track their patients throughout their treatment, and receive guidance
regarding recommended social resources to patients experiencing hardships via the social
determinants platform.

Who: The four Massachusetts CTSA hubs (Boston University, Harvard University, Tufts
University, and University of Massachusetts) partnered with the Boston Breast Cancer Equity
Coalition, and the 6 hospitals that care for women with breast cancer.

Patient population: 1,100 vulnerable inner city women with risk for delay in breast cancer
care. Massachusetts (MA) Cancer Registry data identified the following characteristics of
Boston residents with greatest delays in breast cancer treatment: Black, Hispanic,
non-English speaking, and public health insurance. Six health care institutions care for >90%
of these women:

1. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (site PI: Ted James, MD)

2. Boston Medical Center (PI: Tracy Battaglia MD, MPH)

3. Brigham Women's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (PI: Jennifer Haas MD, MPH)

4. Faulkner Hospital (site PI: Rachel Freedman, MD)

5. Massachusetts General Hospital (site PI: Beverly Moy, MD)

6. Tufts Medical Center (PI: Karen Freund MD, MPH)

UMass Medical Center (PI: Stephenie Lemon, PhD) will play an integral role in the planning
and implementation of the TRIP intervention but is not a clinical site.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. are an adult female > 18 years of age;

2. reside in the City of Boston;

3. have any of the following risk factors for delays in care: are Black and/or Hispanic
ethnicity, do not speak English as their primary language, and/or have only public
insurance or are uninsured at the time of diagnosis.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. cancer diagnosis made > 60 days prior to enrollment, such that the ability of the
intervention to effect the outcome is limited;

2. presence of a cognitive impairment such as dementia or delirium from any cause (e.g.
metabolic, medication or drug induced), given the unique challenges to their treatment
decision making/ adherence and the fact that the intervention would not include the
patient directly, but rather the family;

3. home residence is outside of the city of Boston, Massachusetts.