News 2019
Public campaign, system level changes aim to improve colorectal cancer screening rates
The UCLA Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases and the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA are spearheading an ambitious initiative throughout the UCLA Health system to improve the rates of colorectal cancer screening. The two-pronged effort includes a public-facing campaign to raise awareness among UCLA Health patients and employees of the importance of being screened, as well as a system-level quality improvement initiative aimed at providers and staff. It has already yielded positive results — UCLA Health saw a 6.1% increase in screening rates between July 2018 and July 2019 — along with national acclaim from the American College of Gastroenterology, which recently honored the UCLA Health team with four 2019 SCOPY awards in recognition of its community engagement, education and awareness efforts for colorectal cancer prevention. The UCLA Health Colorectal Cancer Screening Campaign also received a Gold Award for Best Integrated Campaign from the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, which recognizes the best websites and digital communications of health care organizations. Continue to full article
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, receives Greatest Idea Challenge Award / UCLA Innovation Challenge in the amount of $100,000 for personalized cancer screening
UCLA Health has completed its first Innovation Challenge. More than 300 submissions were received across five categories, and 37 peer-reviewed projects were selected for awards that ranged from gift cards and iPads to grants and seed funding of up to $150,000. Dr. Fola May was the principle investigator on the personalized cancer screening project. The proposed project is the first step in a multi-specialty collaborative effort to improve health outcomes for one of the most common and deadly malignancies in the U.S. through personalized cancer screening and surveillance. The project will reduce the impact of colorectal cancer at UCLA Health by using medical informatics and deep learning tools to automate the identification, evaluation and follow-up of patients at high risk for colon and rectal cancer. Co-investigators include Roshan Bastani, PhD, director, Cancer Prevention and Control, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; Alex Bui, PhD, director, UCLA Medical Imaging Informatics; Bita Naini, MD, Department of Pathology and Yuna Kang, MD, Department of Pathology.
JAMA Teachable Moment with Anthony Myint, MD, and Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil - Getting colorectal cancer screening right
series in JAMA Internal Medicine highlights narratives describing cases of inappropriate care that resulted in harm or in which harm was narrowly avoided. In August, Drs. Anthony Myint (GI quality fellow), Elizabeth Aby (internal medicine) and Fola May wrote the Teachable Moment piece describing challenges faced by clinicians in getting patients to engage in colorectal cancer screening and strategies that clinicians can use to maximize patient adherence to colorectal cancer screening recommendations.
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, receives NIH-NCI National Cancer Institute Grant
Dr. May received a R03 award from the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. The study is titled, "Follow-up of Abnormal Findings on Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Federally Qualified Health Center: The Role of System-Level Clinical Care Processes" and will investigate barriers and facilitators to colonoscopy after positive fecal immunochemical testing among low-income individuals that seek care at The Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC), one of the largest FQHCs in the nation. The work will inform the development of effective interventions to achieve meaningful improvement in the quality of colorectal cancer care for our most vulnerable populations.
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, selected by AGA to promote diversity
Dr. May was for its new program to help promote diversity in the field of gastroenterology. The FORWARD Program (Fostering Opportunities Resulting in Workforce and Research Diversity) is a new initiative funded by the National Institute of Health to develop the leadership and research skills of the scholar physician-scientist.