US-Nigerian Cancer Control Center for Research on Implementation Science Excellence (C3-RISE)

Nigeria has a substantial number of preventable cancer deaths each year. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and hepatitis B (HBV) vaccine are both evidence-based strategies to prevent cancer, but they have not been widely scaled up in Nigeria. This suggests the need for innovative strategies that leverage implementation science and tap the collective wisdom of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. We propose the “US-Nigerian Cancer Control Center for Research on Implementation Science Excellence (C3-RISE).” Our overall mission is two part: (a) use participatory implementation science strategies (i.e. crowdsourcing open calls and apprenticeships) to expand uptake of HPV and HBV vaccines for cancer prevention; and (b) serve as a hub for excellence and capacity building in implementation science to advance the understanding of intervention uptake and sustainment of evidence-based interventions to prevent cancer. This project brings together an exceptional group of multi-disciplinary researchers from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (the apex federal health research organization, similar to the US NIH), Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We propose the following aims: (1) To accelerate cancer control by developing, testing, and refining participatory implementation strategies to decentralize vaccines to prevent cancer in community settings; (2) To enhance the scientific productivity of C3-RISE by providing overarching operational and scientific oversight; (3) To support innovative research and the development of scholars trained to accelerate the uptake and sustainment of evidence-based cancer control interventions in Nigeria. These aims will be accomplished by a nurturing hub of two cores (Administrative, Capacity Building) alongside two research studies (Study 1 focused on HPV vaccination, Study 2 on HBV vaccination). Our three partner institutions launched a participatory implementation science project four years ago that directly informed national Nigerian health guidelines, trained 231 students, provided mentorship opportunities to 43 faculty, and culminated in a WHO/TDR practical guide on crowdsourcing for health (UH3HD096929). This led to a recently awarded NCI R01 grant (R01-CA271033) that uses participatory implementation science to develop innovative strategies to enhance HPV services in Nigeria. C3-RISE will leverage this momentum to catalyze cutting-edge cancer research, training, community engagement, and policy translation. Our project will increase excellence with implementation science, as it aligns with the Nigerian National Cancer Control Plan by focusing on participation, capacity building, and sustainment. This U54 grant application directly responds to NIH, NCI, and NIMH strategic priorities.