Grace Wang, Ph.D.

研究概况

Cervical cancer remains a significant health issue despite advancements like HPV tests and Pap tests. Community health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide essential health care services to 30.5 million low-income and underserved patients in the U.S., but continue to struggle with raising cervical cancer screening rates. One promising solution is HPV test self-sampling, which would allow people to collect their own samples for HPV testing. Self-sampling offers convenience, privacy and ease of use, eliminating the need for provider-collected samples. This less invasive method may encourage more people to participate in regular screening. HPV self-sampling was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024.

This project’s overarching goal is to help FQHCs improve cervical cancer screening rates by facilitating the adoption of self-sampling. Our objective is to develop an implementation package for FQHCs that addresses their specific needs and challenges.

This implementation package will provide the materials FQHCs need to successfully integrate self-sampling into existing services. Through our project, we will:

• Identify the barriers and facilitators to self-sampling by conducting a literature review, interviews with FQHC leaders and staff and focus groups with patients. This will help us understand the specific challenges FQHCs face and how to address them effectively.
• Develop and tailor materials to support the implementation of self-sampling. We will develop HPV test self-sampling-specific procedures and workflows for FQHCs, scripts for health care providers and educational resources for patients.
• Test and refine these materials to ensure they are user-friendly and culturally appropriate.

My “Why”

I’m passionate about research that improves cancer screening practices because screenings save lives. Yet, barriers like unclear explanations, confusing timelines and limited access often prevent people from getting screened. Some patients may also feel uncomfortable with a Pap or HPV test and opt out of screening. These challenges are especially evident in community health centers and FQHCs, where cervical cancer screening rates are far too low. My research aims to address these barriers by creating systems that make it simple for people to understand why, when and how to get screened

为什么资金如此重要

 The funding [from the Prevent Cancer Foundation] supports my research to improve cervical cancer screening in community health centers and FQHCs by addressing barriers faced by patients and providers. Specifically, this funding enables the development of resources to implement HPV self-sampling, where patients collect their own samples for testing.

With this support, we can expand access to screening, empower more people to get tested and ultimately reduce the burden of cervical cancer.