Helping young adults with cancer find and join clinical trials
Closing the Adolescent and Young Adult Clinical Trial Enrollment Gap with an AYA (Alert, Young Adult Navigation and Alliance) Clinical Tool
This project builds an electronic alert and navigation system to help adolescents and young adults (ages 15–39) with cancer learn about and join clinical trials.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11173884 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I'm a young adult with cancer, the team will use an electronic medical record alert to flag me as an AYA patient and list trials I might qualify for. Weekly clinical trial meetings and a navigation service will connect me with the right providers, help schedule appointments, and support enrollment paperwork. The program starts in blood cancers and pediatric bone marrow transplant and will then expand to other cancer services at the center. The goal is to coordinate patients, providers, and systems so joining trials is easier and more equitable for AYAs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents and young adults about 15–39 years old with a cancer diagnosis being treated at or referred to Johns Hopkins/SKCCC, especially those with hematologic malignancies or undergoing BMT.
Not a fit: Patients outside the 15–39 age range, those without cancer, or people treated at centers that do not implement the AYA tool may not see direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase trial enrollment for AYAs, giving more young patients access to new treatments and helping reduce disparities in cancer care.
How similar studies have performed: EMR alerts and patient navigation programs have increased clinical trial enrollment in other settings, but an AYA-focused alert-plus-navigation approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Symons, Heather Jill — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Symons, Heather Jill
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.