The goal of the Kaphingst research program is to develop effective health communication approaches for the clinical translation of cancer genetic information and informed consent into cancer clinical trials.

In our first major area of research, we are examining innovative communication approaches for the delivery of cancer genetic services. We led the Broadening the Reach, Impact, and Delivery of Genetic Services (BRIDGE) multi-site randomized clinical trial (U01CA232826), which was funded through the National Cancer Institute's Inherited Cancer Syndromes Collaborative. The trial compared chatbot-based vs. standard of care models for delivering cancer genetic services to unaffected primary care patients eligible based on their family history of cancer, finding that the two models were equivalent in uptake of pre-test genetic education and cancer genetic testing. In another example of a study in this research area, we are examining individuals’ interest in receiving integrated genetic testing for multiple testing indications.

Our second major area of research is to implement strategies to improve the process of consent into cancer-related clinical trials for patients with varying levels of health literacy. We are co-leading a multi-site project (R01TR004245) that is investigating the use, efficacy, and ethical and legal status of behavioral nudges in recruitment of human subjects into clinical and translational research. We are also participating in a multi-site project (R01HS02931) to implement visual key information approaches in informed consent into cancer clinical trials.