Telehealth fertility counseling and financial support for young people with cancer
Evaluation of a telehealth oncofertility care intervention in adolescent and young adult cancer patients: a stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled trial
This project offers telehealth fertility screening, counseling, referral, and financial navigation for adolescents and young adults (ages 12–39) newly diagnosed with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11232351 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a young person newly diagnosed with cancer, this program adds an electronic screening in your health record that can trigger a referral to a virtual oncofertility hub. The hub provides telehealth counseling to explain how treatment might affect fertility and to discuss preservation options and timing. The team also offers telehealth financial navigation to help address cost and access barriers. The intervention was developed from earlier usability and pilot work and will be rolled out across 18 adult and pediatric oncology clinics in a stepped-wedge design to compare outcomes as clinics adopt the program.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescents and young adults aged 12–39 who are newly diagnosed with cancer and receiving care at a participating clinic are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People treated outside the participating clinics, those beyond reproductive age, or patients whose medical condition makes fertility preservation unsafe may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more young people with cancer could get timely fertility information and access to preservation services before treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier usability testing and small pilots of telehealth oncofertility programs showed promise for improving conversations and referrals, but large randomized trials are limited.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Su, Hui-Chun Irene — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Su, Hui-Chun Irene
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.