Using digital tools to help children treated for cancer do better in school
Official title: Leveraging Digital Health Solutions to Reduce Learning and Functional Disparities in Children with Cancer - Administrative Supplement
Funded at Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope · NIH-11348460 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project teaches parents to use an online program and coaching so children who survived childhood leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma can improve school skills and everyday functioning.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Duarte, United States) |
| Project start | July 5, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $100,000 |
| NIH project number | 3R01CA261793-04S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11348460 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children who survived childhood leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma and their parents—especially school-aged survivors who are experiencing learning or academic challenges.
✕Less likely to help
Children without treatment-related learning difficulties, survivors whose problems stem from different neurological damage (for example some brain tumor survivors), or families without reliable internet access may not get benefit from this digital, parent-led program.
What this research studies
From a parent's view, the team offers a remote, parent-directed training called HIP-eHealth that teaches evidence-based strategies and guides use of the award-winning online practice platform IXL to support a child’s learning. Families are being enrolled as parent–child pairs (target about 166 dyads) and are randomly assigned to the full HIP-eHealth program or to a lower-intensity single-session option similar to usual care. The program is delivered from City of Hope and can be completed remotely, with step-by-step coaching for parents rather than direct child tutoring. Earlier iterations have shown good completion rates and positive parent reports, and this supplement extends the work to focus on long-term survivorship and functional outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help childhood cancer survivors gain better school skills, boost parent confidence in supporting learning, and improve long-term academic and functional outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier versions of the HIP parent-training program delivered remotely have shown promising early results with high completion and parent-reported improvements, though larger randomized outcomes are still being collected.
Where this research is happening
-
Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
Duarte, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Patel, Sunita K — Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
- Study coordinator: Patel, Sunita K
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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.