Mission
The Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch (HCIRB) advances research on the processes and effects of communication and health information technology across the cancer control continuum. HCIRB is within the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Behavioral Research Program (BRP), in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS).
HCIRB Scientific Priorities Include:
- Evaluating trends in public awareness, perceptions, knowledge, and social norms related to cancer risk factors and screening practices
- Assessing public support for communication-related cancer control policies
- Improving the accessibility and usability of cancer information
- Investigating the impact of the changing media environment on knowledge and attitudes towards cancer prevention and control
- Understanding and improving cancer communication processes in public health practice, community settings, and health care systems
- Examining the utility and efficacy of innovative methods for studying communication patterns and processes
- Developing and evaluating communication interventions that operate at multiple levels of influence for behaviors relevant to cancer prevention and control
- Supporting the development and adoption of innovative, evidence-based interventions that leverage emerging technologies and platforms such as telehealth, patient portals, smartphone and mobile apps, wireless sensors and devices, and social media
- Examining the role of communication inequalities in observed health disparities, and developing interventions to address these inequities
- Supporting the translation of health communication research into public health and clinical practice across the cancer control continuum
HCIRB also periodically conducts analyses of communication-focused research funded by NCI to identify gaps and opportunities for future research. The first portfolio analysis reviewed grants funded between 2000-2012 and the second analysis reviewed grants funded from 2013-2019.
News and Highlights
- Health Communication article: Contributions to Research and Practice Made by the National Cancer Institute's Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch
- JNCI Monographs Special Issue: Global Cancer Stigma: Research, Practice, and Priorities
- JNCI Monographs Special Issue: Integrating Telehealth into Cancer Care Delivery: Advancing a National Research Agenda
- Health Communication article: Mitigating Health and Science Misinformation: A Scoping Review of Literature from 2017 to 2022
- JAMA Viewpoint article: Health Information in 2023 (and Beyond): Confronting Emergent Realities With Health Communication Science
- New HINTS Brief: Climate Change Harm Perceptions Among US Adults
- HINTS 6 (2022) public use data available for download
- HINTS-SEER (2021) Restricted-Use Data Now Available
- Meet Featured HCIRB-funded Investigators
Featured Funding Announcement
The Confluence of Cancer Stigma and HIV Stigma in HIV-positive Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer
RFA-CA-25-011 (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
RFA-CA-25-012 (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
See More AnnouncementsResearch Areas
Initiatives
HCIRB Grant Portfolio and Funding Opportunities
Featured Grantees
Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS
As a Hispanic physician-scientist, I have witnessed firsthand the disparities in access to cancer care, particularly among our minority populations. It is extremely important for me to improve access to care and provide the same opportunities to all children with cancer, regardless of their background. ”Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS
Smita C. Banerjee, PhD
Well-intentioned health campaigns, health messages, and even health promoting conversations between providers and patients can have unintended effects, such as stigma. Empathic communication between health care providers and patients is at the core of connecting with and providing compassionate cancer care. ”Smita C. Banerjee, PhD
Stacy W. Gray, MD, AM
It often takes decades for highly effective medical interventions to become widely used and many patients never receive guideline recommended care. I believe that health communication science coupled with cancer care delivery research is an essential strategy that we can use to close these care gaps. ”Stacy W. Gray, MD, AM
Ganna Kostygina, PhD
My early collaborative work helped me realize that new technologies carry tremendous potential for advancing the science of health communication, yet this potential is largely underleveraged. ”Ganna Kostygina, PhD
Meet Our Staff
Our team of accomplished scientists and research associates, fellows, and administrators is dedicated to advancing behavioral science research in cancer prevention and control.
HCIRB Staff