Using digital tools to improve depression care for people with cancer
Official title: Harnessing digital health and implementation science to promote uptake of depression treatment in cancer settings: iCan DepCare
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11177046 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses digital tools and clinic-based strategies to help people with cancer access and complete proven treatments for depression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $669,731 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA294004-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177046 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults receiving cancer care who have elevated depressive symptoms or who screen positive for depression and who can use digital tools or be referred to mental health services are the best candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without depressive symptoms, those unable or unwilling to use digital tools or engage with clinic-based referrals, or patients needing urgent inpatient psychiatric care may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If I am a person with cancer and feeling depressed, this work aims to connect me more quickly to treatments that work using phone or web tools and better referral systems at my cancer clinic. The team will combine automatic screening, decision support for oncology teams, and digital patient resources to make it easier to find the right mental health care. They will pilot these changes within cancer clinics and track whether more patients start and stick with evidence-based depression treatments. The approach focuses on fitting into existing clinic workflows so help can be delivered sustainably.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more cancer patients could receive effective depression care, improving mood, quality of life, and adherence to cancer treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Clinical trials show depression treatments can help cancer patients, but few studies have tested digital and implementation strategies to increase real-world uptake, so this approach is promising but not yet widely proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moise, Nathalie — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Moise, Nathalie
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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.