Creando Conexiones

The Need

South Texas, home to over 5 million people, needs improved cancer care. South Texans face a higher risk of cervical cancer, liver cancer, and pediatric leukemia when compared to the nation.

The Project

Creando Conexiones, launched in 2024 with support from the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program, is led by Dr. Rebecca Jones of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center (UT Health San Antonio) and a team with a passion to address the cancer burden in South Texas.

The Vision

The Creando Conexiones project at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio focuses on developing a research agenda that outlines patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (PC-CER) priorities.

Activities

Project activities include:

• Convene the Creando Conexiones coalition
• Conduct interviews and strategic planning sessions with survivors and caregivers
• Interview Mays Cancer Center stakeholders
• Disseminate the Creando Conexiones Delphi survey
• Host Creando Conexiones infrastructure planning meetings
• Develop and finalize the Creando Conexiones Research Agenda
• Host the Creando Conexiones Research Forum
• Disseminate the Creando Conexiones Research Agenda

Outcomes

As part of this project, the main outcome will be the development of the Creando Conexiones Research Agenda that identifies the PC-CER priorities. These priorities will ultimately be used to inform Mays Cancer Center pilot funds supporting the Creando Conexiones agenda and provide training to upskill researchers and clinical teams’ knowledge and understanding of PC-CER.

Contact the Mays Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio at coe@uthscsa.edu or 210-562-6501.