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Guarani kids at street market ¡@
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Overview
A key component of our National Cancer Institute
Cooperative Grant between University of California, San Francisco
Comprehensive Cancer Center and San Francisco State is the development of a Biobehavioral Research Center. This research center is dedicated to
investigating the intersection of biological, behavioral, psychological, and
environmental factors in mental and
physical health and cancer.
Our mission is to prevent and eliminate racial, ethnic, and socio-economic
health disparities that affect a large number of poor, migrating, and
disenfranchised communities in the United
States. The Center has an interdisciplinary research team that integrates
the fields of psychology, anthropology, sociology and public health to
better understand the social determinants of health,
and to help improve the social, physical, and emotional well-being of
underserved populations.
As a minority serving institution with strong ties to various communities,
SFSU has ready access to minority populations whose participation as
communities in future research is critical if we are to understand and
remedy these long-standing inequities with respect to disease risk and
prognosis.
Mission
In partnership with the University of California San
Francisco, the Biobehavioral Cancer Center of San Francisco State University
will have the following mission:
- To lead in research that examines health disparities in disease
outcomes, illness behaviors, risk factors, decision making, quality of life,
access to care and treatment among minority population
- To conduct research that that explores the mind/body connection in a
diverse patient sample
- To lead in the development of community-based interventions specific to
minority populations with the goal of enhancing quality of life, improving
survival and promoting health equity
- To train researchers and clinicians, especially minority researchers and
clinicians;
- To develop a multi-lingual and culturally sensitive website that will be
used to disseminate the Center¡¦s research findings and conduct
Internet-based research.
Research
- Aimed at identifying and understanding factors that
contribute to health disparities in minority groups
- Aimed at developing and testing interventions,
including Internet-based interventions, that will reduce health
disparities, improve quality of life and enhance survival
- Aimed at identifying mind/body mechanisms that
lead to enhanced quality of life and prolonged survival
- Aimed at exploring stress related health
conditions among diverse samples of childhood cancer survivors, caretakers
and siblings
- Aimed at developing and testing interventions
specific to minority cancer populations, including spiritual and
exercise-based interventions
- Aimed at identifying factors related to risk
behaviors, coping and quality of life among people with auto-immune
diseases
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