BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE PROVIDERS
Advanced practice providers ( APP ) are nurse practitioners , physician assistants , clinical nurse specialists , or other licensed , non-physician providers , who are involved in the overall care of the patient , managing symptoms , coordinating care , or helping patients maintain a good quality of life . Clinical research is another area in which APPs can also have a significant impact . But there are several barriers preventing APPs from playing a more active role in clinical research , including under-representation on research committees , heavy workloads , lack of opportunity in the work setting for broader involvement in clinical research , and a general lack of knowledge about the trials that are available .
Christa Braun-Inglis , MS , APRN-Rx , FNP-BC , AOCNP , associate researcher and oncology nurse practitioner at the UH Cancer Center , is working to change that environment . As an APP , she holds a hybrid position as a researcher and part-time clinician working with breast cancer patients at Kapi ‘ olani Medical Center for Women and Children .
Braun-Inglis ’ mission is to inspire , mentor , educate , and help train other oncology APPs who want to assist with clinical research , and have them registered with the National Cancer Institute ( NCI ). Since 2018 , she has worked to recruit 10 oncology APPs in Hawai ‘ i to be registered as non-physician investigators through the NCI which enables them to enroll patients in clinical trials . Braun-Inglis was awarded for her efforts at the UH Cancer Center ’ s 3rd Annual Cancer Clinical Research UHCC Leaders ( ACCRUAL ) event in 2019 . She was also featured in the December 2020 issue of the Association of Community Cancer Centers ’ journal for “ blazing a new path as one of the new oncology certified nurse practitioners in the state of Hawai ‘ i .”
Christa Braun-Inglis , MS , APRN-Rx , FNP-BC , AOCNP
Alexandra Binder , ScM , ScD
MERIT AWARD SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON EPIGENETIC AGING AND COLON CANCER
The National Cancer Institute has granted a Method to
Extend Research in Time ( MERIT ) Award to UH Cancer Center Assistant Professor Alexandra Binder , ScM , ScD . Her funded project focuses on the use of epigenetic age to inform more personalized treatment plans for colon cancer patients to diminish acute and long-term health burdens . Dr . Binder is just the second researcher from the UH Cancer Center to receive a MERIT Award .
There is growing evidence that cancer and its treatment contribute to accelerated aging . “ Epigenetic clocks ” are a promising means to appraise whether our body is aging faster than others of the same age based on specific patterns of gene regulation . Chemotherapy is a common component of colon cancer treatment that aims to kill cancer cells , but can also harm non-cancer cells and accelerate epigenetic aging . The adverse side effects or toxicities associated with chemotherapy can impact quality of life and contribute to dose reductions and treatment delays that may influence reoccurrence and survival . Chemotherapy-associated toxicities are more likely among patients with involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass , which is common among colon cancer patients .
Through this study , Dr . Binder and her colleagues will determine whether epigenetic age can be used to identify colon cancer patients at high risk for chemotherapy toxicity . They will further appraise whether a resistance training intervention can reduce the rate of epigenetic aging during chemotherapy treatment to minimize the risk of these outcomes .
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