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Oncology Nursing Foundation Grants $300,000 for Nurse-Led, Cancer Health Disparities Research Projects

(January 12, 2021) PITTSBURGH - The Oncology Nursing Foundation has granted $300,000 in awards for oncology nurse-led research projects in cancer health disparities, a top research priority in the Oncology Nursing Society’s 2019-2022 Research Agenda. The Society’s research priorities provide direction for knowledge generation, evidence-based practices, and healthcare policy to support the delivery of quality cancer care.

The following three recipients will each receive $100,000 toward their cancer health disparities research:

  • Karen E. Wickersham, PhD, RN, University of South Carolina College of Nursing.

Wickersham will lead an interprofessional team of researchers to examine disparities in the utilization of oral targeted therapies for treatment of lung, colorectal, and breast cancers among adults living in South Carolina. This study is supported by the Oncology Nursing Foundation, made possible by a contribution from Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group.

  • Natasha Schaefer Solle, PhD, RN, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Solle will lead an interprofessional team in studying the utilization of a culturally tailored nurse coaching intervention to decrease symptom severity and prevent dehydration in patients with metastatic cancer. This study is supported by the Oncology Nursing Foundation, made possible by a contribution from Incyte Corporation.

  • Sally Maliski, PhD, RN, FAAN, University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute.

Maliski will lead an interprofessional team in studying androgen deprivation therapy receipt among Black men. This study is supported by the Oncology Nursing Foundation, made possible by a contribution from Bristol Myers Squibb.

“The knowledge generated by nurse-led research is essential to clinical innovation and advancing cancer care for vulnerable populations,” says Anizia Karmazyn, executive director of the Oncology Nursing Foundation. “We are grateful for the support of corporate partners, Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group, Incyte Corporation, and Bristol Myers Squibb, whose contributions to the Foundation are providing the means to fund more research in key areas of need.”

The Oncology Nursing Foundation has already allocated $540,000 in 2020 from endowment sources for four oncology nursing research projects in symptom science and implementation science.

The Oncology Nursing Society created the Oncology Nursing Foundation in 1981 to accept charitable contributions to advance these important activities on behalf of oncology nursing. The mission of the Oncology Nursing Foundation is to support oncology nursing excellence.

Thanks to the generosity of individuals and institutions, the Oncology Nursing Foundation has awarded more than $29 million in funding since its inception for oncology nursing education, research, and leadership development, giving nurses the opportunity to pursue excellence in delivering care to patients with cancer. For more information or to donate to the Oncology Nursing Foundation, visit www.onfgivesback.org.

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Media Contact
Nicole Lininger
nlininger@ons.org