Elizabeth Papautsky awarded National Cancer Institute grant
Elizabeth Papautsky, assistant professor in the department of biomedical and health information sciences, has been awarded $150,000 in research funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The two-year, RO3 grant will explore patient knowledge and behavior across the breast cancer care continuum.
The project aims to capture the lived experiences of breast cancer patients to assess their understanding of their disease and treatment, beginning at diagnosis.
“We have a great deal of literature characterizing knowledge and its acquisition through education for professionals working in complex domains,” said Papautsky. “However, we have conducted little to no research to characterize the acquisition of patient knowledge to manage their journey across complex illness.”
Without a solid understanding of how people learn about their condition, “patient-centered, appropriate and tailored care” is difficult to achieve, Papautsky said. This new research — conducted in partnership with co-investigator and University of Illinois Cancer Center deputy director VK Gadi and patient advocate Martha Carlson — will address this gap, building mechanisms for patient knowledge sharing and ultimately improving outcomes in breast cancer treatment.