PROKids Partners with UW Applied Population Lab to Identify Wisconsin Clinics Serving Priority Populations for Cervical Cancer Prevention

The Program of Research on Outcomes for Kids (PROKids) research team, led by Elizabeth Cox MD, PhD, professor, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, recently received a Fall Research Competition Award from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Education for a joint project with the University of Wisconsin’s Applied Population Lab, titled “Clinic Catchment Areas to Address Cervical Cancer Prevention in Wisconsin.”  Although several evidence-based interventions are available to increase HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening, getting those interventions to populations in need remains challenging.  This year-long study will use geospatial techniques to link catchment areas for 620 Wisconsin primary care clinics with publicly available demographic and health data.  Results will identify clinics that serve high risk populations and also populations without a source of cervical cancer prevention services. Findings from the project could be used to target cervical cancer prevention activities to the highest impact populations and to identify populations for whom additional partners outside the healthcare system may be needed to prevent cervical cancer.