Drs. Dawes, Espinosa Receive SCI Community Impact Award

August 20, 2025

Drs. Aaron Dawes and Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa are recipients of the 2025 Stanford Community Impact Research Cancer Health Equity Challenge Award from the Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI). The $100,000 in funding will support their project “Advocacy, Partnership, Outreach, and Yielding Optimized care for oncology patients (APOYO): A community health worker intervention for Latinx colorectal cancer patients” over the next two years.

According to a study conducted by Morris et al at UC Davis, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second largest source of cancer-related mortality among Latinx Californians. Previous studies done by Dawes, demonstrated that this is due in part to inequities in access and quality of cancer care.

APOYO plans to leverage existing academic-community partnerships in Santa Clara County to co-design, implement, and evaluate a multi-level community health worker/promotora navigator intervention for newly diagnosed CRC patients who identify as Latinx. If effective, they hope their study will improve healthcare in the Latinx community via multiple avenues.

"APOYO has the potential to affect clinical outcomes for Latinx colorectal cancer patients both directly and indirectly, including improving health-related quality of life, health care utilization, and reducing social needs," said Dawes. "Our findings will also have implications for building capacity and facilitating Medi-Cal reimbursement for community health worker/promotora programs, and advancing the science related to methods for improving cancer health equity in Latinx communities."

According to the SCI website, Challenge grants are focused on addressing strategies and methods to either increase or enhance opportunities for community-based interventions. The SCI catchment area covers a ten-county area that includes racially/ethnic diverse communities that experience significant barriers leading to increased cancer risk and burden of disease.

Dawes is an Assistant Professor in our Division of General Surgery's Colorectal Section, and Espinosa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health.

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