Cancer Prevention and Control
In partnership with VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences conducts extensive research around the prevention and control of cancer. We focus on translating research findings into practice as it relates to the following:
- Reducing cancer risk
- Improving cancer-related care
- Improving cancer screening and decision-making
- Enhancing patient and caregiver experience
- Identifying barriers to care and developing methods to overcome those barriers
- Improving health and quality of life during survivorship
We’re proud to collaborate across multiple disciplines and academic units to engage in transdisciplinary and community engaged research that will contribute to cancer prevention and control and access to care.
Ongoing Projects
Principal Investigator: Katherine Y. Tossas, PhD
Funding Source: Jeffress Trust
Project Summary: Building on the effective community-academic partnership established through the Chickahominy T.R.U.T.H. (Trust, Research, Understand, Teach, and Heal) Project, this initiative will expand to all 11 Tribal Nations across Virginia to collaboratively investigate the root cause of persistent cancer disparities facing Native Americans statewide, and critically, how to address them.
Multiple Principal Investigators: Jessica G. LaRose, PhD, Bernard Fuemmeler, PhD, Brynn Sheehan, PhD
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute
Project Summary: This is an academic-public partnership between an interdisciplinary team of investigators from Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, and Virginia’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-administered income-based housing communities. The overarching goal of the VA-ACCERT Center is to improve dissemination and implementation of cancer prevention programming within income-based communities and across the state to mitigate disparities in cancer risk and outcomes.
Principal Investigator: Gregory Hundley, MD
Co-Investigator: Alexander Lucas, PhD
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute
Project Summary: Breast cancer survivors increasingly experience morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular events that often result from chemotherapy. Our collaborative experienced investigators utilizing innovative methods implemented within the National Cancer Institute's Community Oncology Research Program will test whether an individually-tailored physical activity intervention, implemented while participants are receiving chemotherapy, can attenuate physical inactivity, reduce fatigue, and preserve exercise capacity, left ventricular function, and health-related quality of life, all metrics that are associated with or reduce cardiovascular risk. By fostering a lifestyle that maintains or increases physical activity and exercise capacity, this project seeks to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among breast cancer patients and thereby improve their overall survival and quality of life.
Principal Investigator: Ashlee Loughan, PhD
Co-Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: Department of Defense
Project Summary: This series of behavioral clinical trials will examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an evidence-based existential psychotherapy (Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully [CALM]) among patients with high-grade gliomas and metastatic brain cancer.
Principal Investigator: Ashlee Loughan, PhD
Co-Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: Department of Defense
Project Summary: This is a randomized controlled pilot trail of telehealth cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia among individuals with glioma.
Principal Investigator: Sarah Braun, PhD
Co-Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: American Cancer Society
Project Summary: This is a single-arm trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of C-SMART, a tailored cognitive rehabilitation intervention for patients with brain tumor.
Principal Investigator: Ashlee Loughan, PhD, Sarah Braun, PhD
Co-Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: National Brain Tumor Society
Project Summary: This is a pilot feasibility trail of a novel dyadic psychological intervention to reduce fear of cancer recurrence/progression among patients with primary malignant brain tumors and their caregivers.
Principal Investigators: Ashlee Loughan, PhD, Sarah Braun, PhD
Co-Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute
Project Summary: This is a pilot feasibility trial of a novel psychological intervention to reduce fear of cancer recurrence/progression among patients with primary malignant brain tumors and their caregivers.
Multiple Principal Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: American Cancer Society
Project Summary: This is a single-arm pilot trial of a novel lifestyle intervention targeting dietary quality, physical activity, sleep, and stress among emerging adult cancer survivors in order to reduce chronic inflammation.
Principal Investigator: Katherine Y. Tossas, Ph.D.
The SACRED WOMB Projects consist of a series of research initiatives that investigate multiple layers of the relationship between the microbiome and precancerous cervical lesions.
Project 1
Funding Source: American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
Project summary: This project focuses on exploring the role of the vaginal microbiome (VMB) in the risk of developing precancerous cervical lesions. It revealed that specific types of VMB offer protection against cervical lesion development for white women but not for Black women.
Project 2
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute
Project Summary: This project aims to investigate the influence of daily stress experiences and the cortisol psycho-endocrine pathway, on the VMB. It seeks to understand how stress affects differential rates of precancerous cervical lesions among different racial groups.
Project 3
Funding Source: V Foundation
Project Summary: This project further explores the potential mediating role of VMB and HPV dynamics in the psycho-endocrine pathway that links stress to regression of precancerous cervical lesions.
Multiple Principal Investigator: Vanessa Sheppard, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Maghboeba Mosavel, Ph.D.
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute
Project Summary:
The main goal of the SUCCEED program, a collaboration between Virginia State University (VSU) and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, is to improve cancer outcomes for people in Virginia and to be a leader in research on cancer disparities. The Cancer Research and Education Program (CREP) aims to:
- Enhance cancer education for diverse faculty and postdoctoral scholars
- Develop a program to address cancer health disparities and create opportunities for undergraduate students
- Increase awareness and understanding of cancer resources and local activities
The program promotes engagement between community members and researchers at VSU and MCC to support and advance cancer health disparities research.
Principal Investigator: Sunny Jung Kim, PhD
Funding Source: Center for Research, Health, and Social Justice (CRHS)
Project Summary: Pain is a common burden among cancer survivors, with over half affected and 38% experiencing moderate to severe levels. This project will develop and evaluate an mHealth psychosocial tool to support pain self-management and enhance quality of life for survivors. Building on findings from our randomized message-testing experiment, we will deliver evidence-based intervention messages that provide education, personalized guidance, virtual support, and self-reflection assessments. Using innovative methods, our team will optimize digital health strategies to improve cancer pain management and advance translational research that promotes accessible, patient-centered care.
Principal Investigators: Jessica G. LaRose, PhD and Carmina Valle, PhD, MPH
Co-Investigator: Autumn Lanoye, PhD
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Project Summary: This is a randomized clinical trial conducted in partnership with an AYA advisory board. The goal is to test the comparative efficacy of a comprehensive theory-based mHealth lifestyle intervention designed specifically for AYA survivors which includes tailored feedback based on behavioral patterns, cancer specific symptoms, and social drivers of health, compared to a self-guided control arm receiving digital tools, peer support, and education only.
Principal Investigator: Vanessa B. Sheppard, PhD
Funding Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Project Summary: Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCC) will serve as the primary component site for an NCORP Minority/Underserved Community Site award in partnership with nine collaborating community component sites. The overall objectives of this partnership are to extend novel, innovative and effective minority recruitment approaches to an expanded base of community component sites, increase opportunities for minority and medically underserved individuals to participate in cancer clinical trial research (CCTR) and to integrate cancer care delivery research (CCDR) into the overall MB-NCORP.
Richard F. Brown, Ph.D.
Sunny Jung Kim, Ph.D., M.S., M.A.
Autumn Lanoye, Ph.D., L.C.P.
Jessica G. LaRose, Ph.D.
Alexander R. Lucas, Ph.D.
Vanessa B. Sheppard, Ph.D.
Maria D. Thomson, Ph.D., M.Sc.
Katherine Y. Tossas, Ph.D., M.S.
