Research We Fund
With hundreds of projects currently underway, we fund scientists through our academic grant programs and biotech partners through our strategic venture philanthropy initiative. Use the filters below to find an LLS-funded project.
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Oreofe Odejide, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MassachusettsHealth Insurance and End-of-Life Care for People with Hematologic Malignancies
Patients with blood cancers from racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely to experience suboptimal end-of-life (EOL) care. These disparities may be partially driven by health insurance differences but there is limited research examining insurance access as a potential contributor to EOL care disparities for this population. We will leverage complementary local and national datasets to assess the relationship between insurance status and type with EOL quality measures. We will also develop a Blood Cancer Health Insurance Initiative to translate our research findings to policy initiatives to dismantle disparities in access to high-quality EOL care for patients with blood cancers. We will translate our research findings to policy initiatives to dismantle disparities in access to high-quality EOL care for patients with blood cancers.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2023 End Date: May 31, 2026
Jalpa Doshi, PhD
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaImpact of Insurance Type and Cost Sharing on Equity in Access to Oral Anticancer Medications for Blood Cancers
This project will evaluate the association of insurance type with insurer rejection and patient abandonment of new OAM prescriptions for blood cancers, overall and by sociodemographic factors. It will also evaluate the association of cost sharing with patient abandonment of OAM prescriptions for blood cancers and conduct simulations under alternative cost sharing scenarios to inform policy reform proposals among commercially insured enrollees. Finally, the study will evaluate the effect of cost-sharing reductions under the Inflation Reduction Act on patient abandonment of new OAM prescriptions for blood cancers among Medicare Part D enrollees, overall and by sociodemographic factors.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2023 End Date: May 31, 2026
Meng Li, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TexasInvestigating the Impact of Insurance Coverage on Access to Care and Outcomes among Lymphoma Patients
In this proposal we will investigate the association between insurance coverage and access to care, survival, and financial hardship among patients across Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes and to what extent insurance coverage explains and modifies racial disparity in access to care and outcomes. To this end, we will use the Optum Clinformatics DataMart database, the Texas Cancer Registry, the Harris Health System Cancer Database and Data from the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) Cohort Study. These four databases will provide a sample that covers a diverse patient population in terms of insurance coverage, race and ethnicity, and geographic regions. The LEO Cohort Study also provides information on self-reported financial toxicity that is not available in cancer registries, administrative claims data, or surveys. This study will reveal whether insurance coverage, neighborhood socioeconomic factors and healthcare resources are associated with access to care and outcomes of NHL patients.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2023 End Date: May 31, 2026
Lori Muffly, MD
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CaliforniaTowards Equity in Specialized Cancer Care for Adolescents and Young Adults with Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Our study is designed to directly inform the pathways through which health insurance influences access to care at an SCC for individuals with AYA ALL using a combination of cancer registry, survey, and cost-benefit analyses. This research will contribute to knowledge of the implications of health insurance coverage on ALL cancer care in young adults and inform policy-relevant solutions, including determining whether patients are bypassing an SCC for treatment at a more distant facility, calculating estimates of insurance acceptance and access challenges at ALL treating facilities and identifying the financial implications of shifting care to SCCs with demonstrated survival improvements for this population.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2023 End Date: May 31, 2026
Helen Parsons, Phd
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MinnesotaThe Impossible Choice: The Role of Insurance Design on Financial Toxicity and Access to Care for Individuals with Blood Cancer
The overall goal of this project is to understand the role of insurance design on financial toxicity and access to care among individuals with blood cancer. To understand this interplay, we will use a unique and innovative linkage of the 2012-2019 Colorado Cancer Registry (CCR) to the 2013-2021 Colorado All-Payer Claims Database and the LexisNexis and TranUnion financial and life event databases. Our specific aims are to 1) Estimate the number of individuals with blood cancer who are potentially underinsured over time relative to individuals with solid tumors or no history of cancer; 2) Examine the relationship between being underinsured and experiencing financial toxicity after diagnosis in individuals diagnosed with blood cancer relative to those with solid tumors or no history of cancer; and 3) Examine differences in access to cancer care including time to treatment, treatment intensity and survival in underinsured individuals with blood cancer versus those with more generous insurance coverage.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2023 End Date: May 31, 2026
Xu Ji, PhD
Emory University
Atlanta, GeorgiaImpact of Health Insurance on Mortality for Children and AYAs Newly Diagnosed with a Blood Cancer: A Population-Based Multistate Evaluation
Lacking continuous insurance is a key barrier to access to timely care. This study will provide the first evidence of whether insurance continuity provides a survival benefit, and how Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act affects insurance continuity and the associated downstream changes in survival for children, adolescents, and young adults with blood cancers. This study will inform policy interventions toward increasing access and reducing disparities in blood cancer outcomes.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2022 End Date: May 31, 2024
F. Lennie Wong, PhD
Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope
Duarte, CaliforniaRole of Health Insurance and Medicaid Expansion in Racial Inequity in Patterns of Care and Outcomes in Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is the most common blood cancer in African Americans. Thanks to advances in treatment, over 50% of patients now survive 5 years compared to 35% in 2000. However, African American patients may not be enjoying the same health gain as White patients, possibly due to poorer access to healthcare. This study will examine the role of health insurance and living in states with expanded eligibility for Medicaid on treatment patterns and survival in African Americans compared to White patients with multiple myeloma.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2022 End Date: May 31, 2024
Stacie Dusetzina, PhD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TennesseeMaking the Right Choice: Medicare Plan Selection and Access to Cancer Care
Selecting a Medicare plan is a time-sensitive and complex decision with substantial financial implications, particularly for individuals with cancer. The proposed project evaluates the financial and health outcomes for individuals selecting different Medicare coverage options and how these outcomes vary by the presence and timing of a cancer diagnosis. The goal of this work is to identify opportunities to improve plan selection and reduce inequities in cancer care and outcomes.
Program: Equity in AccessProject Term: Start Date: June 1, 2022 End Date: May 31, 2024