Morehouse–Tuskegee–UAB cancer partnership to reduce disparities
Official title: 1/3 Morehouse School of Medicine/Tuskegee University/University of Alabama at Birmingham O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Partnership
Funded at Morehouse School of Medicine · NIH-11191396 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Teams at Morehouse, Tuskegee, and UAB are working together to learn why cancer outcomes differ in the Southeast and to help patients in underserved communities get better care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Morehouse School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2005 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,173,804 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA118638-20 |
| Project ID | NIH-11191396 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with cancer who receive care in the Southeast—particularly patients treated near Atlanta, Tuskegee, or Birmingham and those from underserved or minority communities, including breast cancer patients for some pilots.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who live outside the region, those without cancer, or those whose cancer type is not included in a pilot project are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this grant.
What this research studies
This partnership brings together clinicians, researchers, and community outreach teams at Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, and the UAB O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center to tackle cancer disparities in the Southeast. It funds shared cores for administration, outreach, bioethics, and biostatistics/bioinformatics and supports multiple pilot and full research projects, including work on tumor cell density and gene expression in breast cancer. The program also builds training and career pathways for new cancer investigators at Morehouse and Tuskegee and links research with community education and engagement. As a patient in the region, you may be invited to participate in pilot studies, provide samples, or join outreach and education activities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the partnership could clarify drivers of cancer disparities and lead to better tests, treatments, and access to care for underserved patients.
How similar studies have gone: Other U54 partnership programs have successfully strengthened research teams, community outreach, and pilot discoveries, although some projects here pursue novel scientific questions.
Where this research is happening
-
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rivers, Brian M. — Morehouse School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Rivers, Brian M.
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.