Erica Trapl, PhD, has secured a $2.75 grant from Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation to support the Cleveland African American Prostate Cancer Project.
Directed by Dr. Trapl, PQHS associate professor, this project will develop and implement a comprehensive, sustainable, community-based program to increase the number of African Americans screened for prostate cancer.
Dr. Trapl is also the Director of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods.
As she says, prostate cancer does not have any known modifiable risk factors, so early screening is the only way to reduce prostate cancer mortality. “The best bet is to identify prostate cancer early and reduce late-stage diagnosis.â€
To do so, Trapl has established a team of researchers that includes expertise in cancer disparities, social work, bioethics, culturally specific intervention development, urology, genetic epidemiology, community outreach, and dissemination and implementation science.