CDC PRC Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

• ​Applicants currently funded under CDC PRC Program are eligible to compete for SIP supplemental funding
• The purpose of the PRC program's SIP mechanism is to support supplemental projects in health promotion and disease prevention research
• SIPs design, test, evaluate, disseminate, and translate effective applied public health prevention research strategies to include interventions (i.e. programs, practices, policies, or strategies) and tools developed in real-world settings
• Research strategies align with public health priorities such as the Healthy People 2020 topic areas: aging, dementias and Alzheimer's disease; epilepsy; cancer; nutrition and physical activity; and substance abuse-alcohol

Current special interest projects

Validation of self-reported vaccination among adults, CDC/CPCRN SIP 20-008

Validation of self-reported vaccination status among adult patients in private, public, and managed care health care settings   ​

The overall goal of this project is to estimate measures of validity in self-reported vaccine status for nine vaccines (influenza; pneumococcal; herpes zoster; tetanus-diphtheria [Td]; tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis [Tdap]; human papillomavirus [HPV]; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; and COVID-19) within demographic and disease risk groups. These measures include sensitivity, specificity, and net bias. These measures will then be used to adjust estimates produced by self-report surveys, resulting in better information on which to base programmatic decisions and efforts to increase the uptake of vaccines throughout the U.S.

These estimates of validity must be vaccine specific and specific to demographic and risk factor groups, because some groups may be able to more accurately report their vaccine status than others. We will also conduct an in-depth examination of alternative non-survey sources for estimating vaccine coverage and produce a White Paper on this issue.

PI: Dr. Lori Crane

Project Period: September 30, 2020 - September 29, 2022

Cancer prevention and control research network, CDC/NCI SIP 19-005 

Cancer RESULTS (Resources, Engagement, and Support for the Use of Lifetime Tailored cancer prevention Services)   ​ ​

The unique focus and contribution of the Colorado site to the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network is to increase the impact of cancer screening and the health of cancer survivors by accelerating the use and dissemination of evidence-based strategies in high-risk individuals.

This research project engages key stakeholders to identify gaps in meeting current evidence-based guidelines for risk appropriate care, and to develop and disseminate an implementation intervention to increase their use in communities with a high cancer burden including rural, minority, and the medically underserved.

PI: Dr. Betsy Risendal

Project Period: September 30, 2019 - September 29, 2024

The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) is a national network of academic, public health, and community partners who work together to reduce the burden of cancer, especially among those disproportionately affected. Its members conduct community-based participatory cancer research across its eight network centers, crossing academic affiliations and geographic boundaries. The CPCRN is a thematic research network of the Prevention Research Centers (PRCs), which are CDC’s flagship program for preventing and controlling chronic diseases.  The Rocky Mountain Prevention Center is a member of the CPCRN network, as the Principal Investigator Dr. Betsy Risendal noted, "Experts have long indicated that up to half of all cancers could be prevented if we could only apply what is already known. While there are many available evidence-based programs and interventions aimed at improving the delivery of risk-based cancer care, the uptake and delivery of these programs remains relatively low.  What I'm most excited about is the opportunity we have with this project to understand and implement what the community and providers think is needed to address this important topic." 

Kellen Roth, a steering committee member of the Alliance who is the lead of Member Affairs of Colorado Access states: “When I first heard about the opportunity to join this project, I was excited to see how I could bring a person center approach this group. As I have begun this work, I realized it’s much more than bringing just the person center approach, but how we will be able to make changes for our broader Colorado communities. Within this project I hope to gain how my organization can implement a multi-level approach that incorporates the member, provider, and systems to increase the impact of cancer screening.”

Andrea (Andi) Dwyer who serves as a co-Investigator on the grant, in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health or the Colorado School of Public Health, has a longstanding relationship with the Alliance states, ‘the opportunity to connect with a statewide Alliance, whose mission is to reach the medically underserved, fused with the efforts of an  academic partner is needed to better identify patients who are at the highest risk of cancer.  This type of community engaged approach has been used in the field for a number of chronic disease issues with proven success; we are overdue in Colorado and nationally to explore systems and population health approaches to implement risk level screening. 

The CPCRN study team, Alliance team members and the established Steering Committee are currently in the process of reviewing the evidence and in deliberations and dedicated processes to establish the specific points of entry where we will see the highest impact and outcomes to improve the uptake of genetic and familial syndromes.  To track the progress of the effort and to learn more about the participating members and organizations of the Alliance, please visit: The Alliance of Colorado Community Health Workers or Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center (RMPHTC).