Research Projects

Project 1. Impact of standing orders support

Project 1 is examining how to improve standing orders and extend the role of nurses and medical assistants in HPV vaccine recommendations in clinics that receive the AAT.

Specific Aims

Aim 1. Characterize the role of primary care team members and standing orders in HPV vaccination.
Aim 2. Evaluate the impact of standing orders support for the whole primary care team on HPV vaccine communication and uptake in a cluster RCT.
Aim 3. Generate guidance for healthcare systems to implement standing orders support.

Lead

Noel Brewer

Noel Brewer, PhD

Gillings Distinguished Professor of Public Health
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Role in the Center:
Principal Investigator
Lead, Admin Core
Lead, Project 1

Elizabeth Bernstein, BS

Research Project Coordinator
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Role in the Center:
Project Coordinator, Project 1
Administrative Core
DEI Working Group member

Ben Kahn, MPH

Doctoral Student, Department of Health Behavior
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Role in the Center:
Research Assistant, Project 1

Katherine Kritikos, MPH

Research Project Manager
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Role in the Center:
Project Manager, Project 1

Paul Reiter, PhD

Professor, Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion
Ohio State University, College of Public Health

Role in the Center:
Co-Investigator, Project 1

Aditi Tomar, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Role in the Center:
Post-doc, Project 1

Project 2. Impact of clinic-level financial incentives

Project 2 is examining how financial incentives for primary care staff affect HPV vaccination communication and uptake in clinics that receive the AAT.

Specific Aims

Aim 1. Characterize primary care teams’ perceptions of financial incentives with behavioral nudges tied to HPV vaccination.
Aim 2. Demonstrate the impact of clinic-level financial incentives on HPV vaccine communication and uptake in healthcare systems.
Aim 3. Generate guidance for systems to compare and implement AAT and financial incentives.

Lead

Justin Trogdon

Kathryn Brignole, MSc

Research Project Manager
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Role in the Center:
Research Project Manager, Project 2
Research Project Manager, Data Core

Michelle Hernandez, MD

Pediatric and Adolescent Director, North Carolina Network Consortium
Professor, Pediatric Allergy-Immunology
UNC School of Medicine

Role in the Center:
Co-Investigator, Project 2

Jodi Lewis, MPH

Doctoral Student
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Role in the Center:
Graduate Research Assistant, Project 2

Kathleen Mottus, PhD

Research Assistant
North Carolina Network Consortium
UNC School of Medicine

Role in the Center:
Recruitment Coordinator, Project 2

Jen Rees, RN

Certified Practice Facilitator
North Carolina Network Consortium
UNC School of Medicine

Role in the Center:
Practice Facilitator, Project 2

Justin Trogdon, PhD

Professor and Director of PhD Program
Gillings School of Public Health
Department of Health Policy and Management

Role in the Center:
Project Lead, Project 2
Project Co-Lead, Data Core

Project 3. Identifying and training clinical champions

Project 3 is examining the impact of training clinical champions to provide AAT to other primary care providers within their own healthcare system.

Specific Aims

Aim 1. Identify opportunities to engage clinical champions in delivering AAT within their own healthcare systems.
Aim 2. Compare the impact of Champion AAT to Traditional AAT on HPV vaccine uptake and communication in healthcare systems.
Aim 3. Generate guidance to help healthcare systems compare and implement Champion AAT and Traditional AAT.

Lead

Melissa Gilkey

Elizabeth Cox, MD

Professor
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Pediatrics

Role in the Center:
Project Co-lead, Project 3

Melissa Gilkey, PhD

Associate Professor
UNC Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Behavior

Role in the Center:
Project Lead, Project 3
Co-leader, Intervention Core

Jennifer Heisler-MacKinnon, MPH

Project Manager
UNC Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Behavior

Role in the Center:
Project Manager, Project 3
Co-Project Manager, Intervention Core

Kathryn Kennedy, MPH

Doctoral Student
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Role in the Center:
Graduate Research Assistant, Project 3

Wei Yi Kong, MA

Doctoral Student
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Role in the Center:
Graduate Research Assistant, Project 3

Samantha Stalford, MPH

Research Specialist
Program of Research on Outcomes for Kids (PROKids), University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health

Role in the Center:
Wisconsin site Project Coordinator, Project 3

Project 4. Value of interventions in high-need areas

Project 4 is modelling the budget impact, cost-effectiveness, and population health impact of HPV vaccine communication interventions and examining rural-urban differences.

Specific Aims

Aim 1. Identify differences in contextual factors in rural and nonrural clinical settings that may influence the implementation and effectiveness of enhanced AAT interventions.
Aim 2. Evaluate the budget impact, cost-effectiveness, and population outcomes of HPV vaccine communication and other evidence-based interventions in rural and nonrural clinical settings.
Aim 3. Aid stakeholder implementation planning with a decision support tool illustrating the value of HPV vaccine communication interventions in rural and nonrural clinical settings.