WVU Cancer Institute awarded funding to improve care for infants exposed to hepatitis C

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The West Virginia University School of Medicine Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, a member of the WVU Cancer Institute, has received funding through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), to improve care for infants who have been exposed to hepatitis C.

The $122,654 one-year funding award will support a statewide initiative focused on identifying caregiver-informed, patient-centered research priorities, bringing together caregivers of children exposed to hepatitis C, healthcare providers, public health professionals, and researchers from across West Virginia to identify research priorities aimed at improving testing, follow-up, and care for infants exposed to hepatitis C.

This project is led by Alana Hudson, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Reagan Curtis, Ph.D., professor and associate center director for Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination.

“Pediatricians may not know if a child was exposed to hepatitis C. Even when that exposure is known, testing infants is challenging in many areas of the state where healthcare access is limited. We know that untreated hepatitis C can cause liver cancer or other complications,” Dr. Curtis said. “This project and partnerships will help create a stronger foundation for future research focused on improving care for children and families affected by hepatitis C.”

Stakeholders will participate in a series of meetings and focus groups to discuss barriers, identify evidence gaps, and develop priorities for future patient-centered research.

Caregivers with lived experiences will play a key role throughout the project, including on the project team and advisory board, helping ensure that research priorities reflect the needs of families.

“The voices of caregivers, healthcare providers, public health professionals, and community partners are essential to understanding where gaps exist and what challenges need to be addressed,” Dr. Hudson said. “This project creates an opportunity for those perspectives to directly shape future patient-centered research.”

PCORI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) designed to provide patients and those who care for them with evidence to make better-informed healthcare decisions.

This project, Convening to Support Engagement in Patient-Centered CER Related to Pediatric Hepatitis C Care in West Virginia, is part of a portfolio of projects by PCORI that will help develop a community of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other stakeholders who are better equipped to engage as partners in all phases of patient-centered CER and to disseminate results of PCORI-funded projects.