1. After reading the article by Thomas et al., comment on where your research, or your research interests, fit into the generational framework for health disparities research. If your work is 1rst or 2nd generation, comment on how your work could lead in the future to 3rd or 4th generation work. If your work is 3rd or 4th generation, comment on what 1rst and 2nd generation work was necessary as a foundation for your current work (or current interests).
My research interests fit in the generational framework for health disparities research however it is crosses generations. First-generation research focuses on detection, identification, and documentation of disparities, including identifying vulnerable populations. As a result, I am engaged in a project called Minority Equity and Recruitment into Trials (MERIT) where I aim to characterize the demographics of new cancer cases among individuals living within our Northern California Catchment via the California Cancer Registry, compared to patients presenting to our cancer center (thus in our secondary administrative cancer registry), compared to patients enrolled in our cancer treatment trials (thus in our clinical trials management systems database). I completed the distance traveled to clinical trials (DISTRICT study) where I examined the relationship between distance from home to cancer site and clinical trial participation, therefore this is an example of second-generation research. Lastly, I am developing a mobile-first patient facing cancer clinical trial matching tool aiming to provide a solution to addressing disparities in cancer treatment trials. Thus this is a third generation research approach.
2. The barbershop hypertension intervention, while essentially a clinical services intervention operating at either the fence or safety-net level as described by Jones, has some engagement with the social determinants of health. Interventions like that described in the Walton article are designed to mitigate the impact of social determinants. How could you apply one of these two types of interventions to your area of research? Propose one or two interventions that engage with social determinants on some level.
My interests are in cancer disparities across the cancer care continuum from prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship. A model that is similar to the barbershop intervention but engaging in SDH and related to cancer disparities is teaching hairstylists how to detect malignant melanoma. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2664332?redirect=true