Improving breast health in high-poverty neighborhoods
Official title: Pathways to Improving Breast Health Outcomes in Neighborhoods with Concentrated Poverty
Funded at University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr · NIH-11397688 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how neighborhood poverty affects late breast cancer diagnosis and deaths and aims to find community changes and policies that help women get diagnosed earlier and live longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project start | August 29, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $375,014 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MD018766-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397688 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women living in high-poverty neighborhoods—especially breast cancer survivors or those at risk in the Memphis area—are the ideal participants for interviews, focus groups, or related outreach.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not have breast cancer or who live outside the areas analyzed (for example, outside Tennessee) may not receive direct benefits from this project.
What this research studies
If you live in a high-poverty neighborhood, this project links state cancer registry and death records with neighborhood and Census data to see where late diagnoses and deaths are more common. Researchers will hold focus groups and interviews with breast cancer survivors, city planners, and policymakers in Memphis to hear local experiences and decisions that shape care. They will combine the numbers with people's stories to identify community factors and policy actions that can be changed. The goal is to point local leaders and health systems toward steps that reduce late-stage diagnosis and lower mortality.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to targeted community programs and policy changes that help women in poor neighborhoods be diagnosed earlier and have better survival.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has linked neighborhood poverty to worse breast cancer outcomes, but this mixed-methods, policy-focused study centered on Memphis is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
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University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
Memphis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: White-Means, Shelley — University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
- Study coordinator: White-Means, Shelley
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.