Changing Lives Through Groundbreaking Science
Using robust scientific and lay review, in the 2024 cycle, the GI Research Foundation awarded $600,000 to eight investigators at the University of Chicago for novel research projects.
2024 Innovation Awards
Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes: The Role of Social Determinants of Health in an Urban Cohort
Bradford Chong, MD
THE PROBLEM
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Social determinants of health encompass the social, physical, and economic factors that shape the patient’s living environment. These have been increasingly recognized for their role in poor long-term outcomes in cancers at large. Our recent work demonstrated that even in the earliest stage of pancreatic cancer diagnosis, patients with lower socioeconomic level or who live in rural or remote areas experienced worse survival outcomes. For decades, the residents of Chicago have experienced inequalities in health outcomes across racial, socioeconomic, and neighborhood lines.
THE HYPOTHESIS
Disparities hold true for pancreatic cancer. We expect to find neighborhood-level socioeconomic deprivation and race playing important roles in diagnosis, treatment, and survival.
THE RESEARCH PLAN
Our study will review the experience at University of Chicago of patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over the last ten years. Our goals are to assess how factors such as race, travel distance, and neighborhood-level socioeconomic deprivation affect the likelihood of cancer treatment, stage of diagnosis, and overall survival.
THE GOAL
Use data to design and implement solutions that bridge the gap in pancreatic cancer patient outcomes, such as:
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- improved transportation access to treatment
- development of digital health technologies to bridge inequalities in pancreatic cancer care, and
- more equitable resource allocation to historically deprived neighborhoods.
“These grants focus on research that advances the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and cure of digestive diseases. Additionally, the goals of the grants program include to:
- Help build the field by funding emerging scientific leaders
- Provide seed funding for innovative ideas that, if successful, could result in larger grants from funders such as the National Institutes of Health
- Fund bold research ideas that might have risk of failure but high reward for success, as these projects have difficulty securing funding elsewhere
Thank you to our grant review committee members and scientific advisors who read and scored proposals with a focus on ensuring the recommended projects meet our mission and are centered on advancing patient care and outcomes.”
