PaRC leads both scientific discovery and resource development for the care of patients with serious illness who also grapple with complex pain and addiction.
The aims of this project are to (1) adapt behavioral activation to help patients living with advanced cancer to optimize their daily quality of life, to be delivered primarily via smartphone, and to incorporate personalized, data-driven feedback and objective activity monitoring, and (2) examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of this adapted intervention in … Read more
For patients with advanced cancer, pain is a common and disabling symptom for which opioids remain a mainstay of treatment. The current epidemic of opioid misuse and addiction has led to widespread changes in opioid-related policies, and the impacts of these policies on patients with advanced cancer near end of life are not well understood. … Read more
Building on Dr. Hailey Bulls’ previous work, this project will develop and test a novel behavioral intervention for opioid stigma. After interviewing a cohort of patients with advanced, painful cancer, Dr. Bulls will develop a theory-based intervention to reduce negative impacts of opioid stigma in similar patients. Once developed, the intervention will be tested in … Read more
The Clinical Cancer Research Career Pathway Grant in Symptom Management is designed to support research in symptom management and build the next generation of clinical researchers in the field. Dr. Wong is performing a longitudinal study of depressive and anxiety symptoms in men with prostate cancer, their use of supportive care services, and the effects … Read more
The goal of Dr. Low’s research is to examine the association between continuous mobile sensor data features and commonly used measures of physical function in cancer survivors aged 65 and older. (Funding Source: The Pittsburgh Pepper Center)
This study is an extension of Dr. Bull’s other ongoing research (Assessing the Transition from Acute to Chronic Cancer Pain (AtTACC Pain) Study) by adding proteomics analyses to the AtTACC pain cohort, which will enhance the understanding of the biological underpinnings in the transition from acute to chronic cancer pain. (Funding Source: the University of … Read more
This pilot study will expand upon the existing infrastructure of Dr. Belcher’s career development award (K23NR019296) to explore biological pathways associated with symptoms and adherence to oral anticancer medications among patients with multiple myeloma. (Funding: Center for Research and Evaluation Pilot/Feasibility Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.)
Drs. Merlin and Kraemer are MPIs for The Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of OUD and Pain (TREETOP) clinical research center at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), which is part of the NIH IMPOWR network. TREETOP draws on the NIDA Clinical Trials Network Appalachian (Pennsylvania & West Virginia) and Western States (Oregon) Nodes … Read more
As part of her KL2 award from the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and with pilot funding from the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Dr. Hailey Bulls completed patient and caregiver interviews to better understand cancer patient experience with opioid stigma. Dr. Bulls has used these data to develop a behavioral intervention … Read more
The long-term goal of this program of research is to develop interventions that inform opioid-related decision-making for patients with metastatic cancer. Dr. Merlin and her team will use the Behavioral Decision Research framework to create a comprehensive evidence base on which these interventions can be grounded. From here, they will devise and test novel interventions to … Read more
