Notice of Intent to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and Quality of Care Contributors to Cancer Disparities in People with HIV (U01; Clinical Trial Optional)

Key Dates

None

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to publish a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications seeking to better understand the role of social determinants of health (SDoH) in contributing to or exacerbating cancer disparities and inequalities for people with HIV (PWH) across the cancer care continuum. The solicited applications may propose research investigating health disparities that span cancer control and health care delivery, spanning screening, diagnosis, treatment, quality of life, and survivorship. The primary objectives of this initiative will be to increase the NCI’s research portfolio investigating cancer disparities in PWH and to advance the understanding of the influence of SDoH, and how they may contribute to health disparities and inequities in PWH and cancer. For this NOFO, observational, interventional, and translational research studies are within scope.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants time to develop responsive projects and meaningful collaborations.

The NOFO is expected to use the U01 mechanism with approximately three to four awards anticipated for each of three receipt dates. Clinical trials are optional.

The NOFO is expected to be published in fall 2024 with expected application due dates in winter 2025, 2026, and 2027.

This NOFO will utilize the U01 activity code. Details of the planned NOFO are provided below.

People with HIV (PWH) have a higher incidence of certain cancers, less frequent use of proven screening tests, higher rates of advanced cancer diagnoses, and are less likely to receive cancer treatment compared to individuals without HIV. These health disparities are often further amplified in PWH who are members of underserved and marginalized groups, including: low-socioeconomic groups, underrepresented racial/ethnic populations, sexual and gender minorities, and those who live in geographically isolated areas. Data shows that various factors contribute to these disparities including patient-driven, provider-driven, and health systems-related issues.

SDoH are the unfair and avoidable factors that influence health. This includes the conditions of the environment in which people are born, grow, live, learn, work, play, and age that impact health outcomes, and operate at multiple levels of influence.

Much of the research in this area has focused on the relationship between SDoH and HIV care outcomes; however, a good deal of the data describes associations between a single factor (e.g., poverty) and clinical outcomes. Since SDoH are complex, intersecting, and reinforcing, multilevel approaches are needed to fully understand the contributors to cancer disparities seen in PWH.

This Notice encourages investigators and teams with expertise and insights into cancer disparities and/or inequalities in cancer prevention and care of PWH to consider applying for this new NOFO. The primary objectives of this U01 RFA are to advance the understanding of how SDoH contribute to disparities and inequalities in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, quality of life, and survivorship outcomes of PWH and cancer, with an expectation that the research may inform future interventions. Research investigating the impact of SDoH may have on multiple levels (e.g., individual, family, community, systems, and population levels), health-related social needs, and their influence on cancer-related disparities in PWH are in scope.  Furthermore, expertise in both cancer and HIV should be evident within the research team.

Proposed research areas could include, but are not limited to:

• Research to better understand how multiple SDoH interact and contribute to health disparities in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, quality of life, and survivorship outcomes in PWH;
• Research eliciting how individual level, provider-level, and system-level factors influence the quality of cancer-related clinical care, enrollment options in clinical trials, access to cancer screening and diagnostic interventions among PWH;
• Research identifying and testing strategies to address multilevel SDoH influences that contribute to disparities in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, quality of life, and survivorship outcomes of PWH and cancer; and
• Research identifying and testing strategies to address health-related social needs at the individual level that contribute to disparities in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, quality of care, and survivorship outcomes of PWH and cancer.

The presentation of this initiative to the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA) can be accessed at this link (at time frame 4:20): https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=54859  and the slides can be accessed at https://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/joint/0624/Huppi.pdf. 

Funding Information

Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
Private Institution of Higher Education
Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Small Business
For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business)
State Government
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)
County governments
Independent school districts
U.S. Territory or Possession
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized)
Regional Organization
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government

Applications are not being solicited at this time. 

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Rebecca Liddell Huppi, Ph.D.
Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-781-3324
Email: [email protected]

Or

Tiffany Wallace, Ph.D.
Center for Cancer Health Equity
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-5114
Email: [email protected]