Evaluation of the Cancer Disparities Research Partnership (CDRP) Program: Program Evaluation Design and Implementation after Program Initiation

This presentation describes steps in evaluating an established, ongoing research program. NCI's CDRP is a 5-year cooperative U 56 grant program that began in 2002. CDRP focuses on building and stabilizing clinical trials research programs in community-based institutions that care for a disproportionate number of medically underserved, low-income, and racial/ethnic minority populations and are not traditionally involved in NCI-sponsored research. CDRP components include: (1) providing radiation oncology clinical trials to target populations experiencing cancer health disparities who otherwise might not have the opportunity to participate; (2) implementing partnerships between community institutions and academic cancer research institutions; (3) establishing a telemedicine system at each CDRP institution to augment patient care and research; (4) supporting patient navigators to facilitate access to oncology services, including clinical trials, by addressing barriers that impact timely cancer care delivery; and (5) conducting community outreach related to health care and cancer research. Using a non traditional funding mechanism, CDRP funds six community-based institutions across the United States. Evaluation planning began 3 years after initiation of CDRP. The first step in evaluating CDRP was clear delineation of goals and objectives and building a Logic Model, which facilitated addressing stakeholder concerns. Because each CDRP project community is unique, the evaluation design must accommodate similarities and differences among these programs. Using a mixed-method evaluation design, individual components, linkages between these, and the overall program at each CDRP site and across all sites are examined. Challenges and successes in evaluating this multi-component program will be discussed.