Disparities Research Branch (DRB)

Cultivating Change to Foster Health Equity

Health equity is an aspirational goal, whereby all people experience similar health outcomes regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood, or other disadvantaging social and structural determinants of health. DRB seeks to promote this goal through the development and implementation of research initiatives designed to address cancer disparities.

Priorities

The causes of health disparities are multifactorial, interrelated, and complex. As a result, DRB collaborates across the NCI to support research initiatives for disparities research that span numerous disciplines. Current priority areas include:

• The biological consequences of structural racism and social determinants of health in cancer.
• Multidisciplinary team science to better embrace and understand the complexity surrounding the causes and effects of health disparities.
• Environmental justice, including a focus on climate change and cancer.

Programs

Accepting applications:

• Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities (R01/R21)
• NCI Clinical and Translational Exploratory/Developmental Studies (R21)
• Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and Quality of Care Contributors to Cancer Disparities in People with HIV (U01), RFA pending

Active, closed to new applications:

• PDX Development and Trial Centers Research Network (PDXNet)
• Planning grants to support Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) focused on cancer disparities
• Integrating Health Disparities into Immuno-Oncology (HDIO) (P20)

Staff

Primary

• Dr. Tiffany Wallace, Branch Director
• Victoria Coan, Program Analyst
• Dr. Melissa Smarr, Program Director
• Dr. Neeraja Sathyamoorthy, Program Director (C)
• Dr. Gatikrushna Panigrahi, Detailee (CCR/LHC)

Secondary Assignment

• Dr. Jessica M. Calzola, Interim Acting Branch Director, Innovative Programs Branch
• Dr. Sangeeta Ghosh, Program Director
• JoBeth McCarthy, Program Director (C)
• Dr. Laritza M. Rodriquez, Program Director
• Dr. Shahrooz Vahedi, Program Director