Translating Research Into Practice: Patient Navigation for Breast Cancer

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 Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs (Boston University, Harvard University, Tufts University, and University of Massachusetts) partnered with the Boston Breast Cancer Equity Coalition, and the 5 hospitals that care for women with breast cancer. Patient population: about 1,300 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. Five 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. Massachusetts General Hospital (site PI: Beverly Moy, MD) 5. Tufts Medical Center (PI: Karen Freund MD, MPH) University of Massachusetts 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.