Grant to Help LSU Cancer Center Team Clear Path to Prevention Services for Louisiana Women
January 29, 2024
A research team from LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center has been awarded a $1.5 million grant to increase access to cervical cancer screenings and prevention services, a major factor in Louisiana's high cervical cancer death rate.
“ We have the tools to prevent cervical cancer, but we aren’t using them to their fullest potential. ”
The five-year program combines a $1.2 million award from the American Cancer Society and $75,000 a year for five years investment from LSU Health New Orleans.
Cervical cancer rates are higher in predominantly African American communities represented in both urban and rural areas of Louisiana. The research project at LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center will not only focus on increasing screenings, but on removing barriers that prevent women from accessing cancer prevention services after they have been screened.
“With prevention through an HPV vaccine and early detection, no one should develop or die from cervical cancer,” said Dr. Michael Hagensee, professor, LSU Health New Orleans Department of Medicine. “We have the tools to prevent cervical cancer, but we aren’t using them to their fullest potential."
Through its Scholarship First Agenda, LSU facilitates and promotes interdisciplinary research to meet the challenge of improving the state’s health outcomes head-on.