SPH Associate Professor Helen Parsons has been awarded two new research grants from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the largest nonprofit funder of leading-edge research for every type of blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. The grants were awarded as part of a $3.8 million LLS investment aiming to ensure that all blood-cancer patients achieve access to the care and services they need. In announcing the grants, LLS noted that the studies may ultimately lead to better health outcomes by identifying steps policymakers can take to increase equitable access to affordable, high-quality blood-cancer care.

Parsons, whose research focuses on exploring the impact of health policy on improving access to cancer care in order to help patients, clinicians and policy makers make more informed decisions, will explore two research projects with the LLS funding:

For the first study, Parsons will work as co-Principal Investigator with Drs. Robin Yabroff from the American Cancer Society and Cathy Brady from the University of Colorado to:

• Explore the relationship between insurance design and financial hardship among blood cancer patients compared to those with solid tumors or no history of cancer.
• Estimate the relationship between insurance plan type and time to treatment.
• Evaluate geographic, racial, and ethnic disparities in financial hardship and treatment outcomes by insurance plan type in individuals with leukemia and lymphoma.

For the second study, Parsons will serve as co-Principal Investigators along with Drs. Lori Muffly from Stanford University and Theresa Keegan from the University of California Davis on research that seeks to understand how specific insurance types held by adolescents and young adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia influence access to specialized care.

Previous research suggests that adolescents and young adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the U.S. experience improved survival when treated at a specialized cancer center (SCC). However, fewer than 50% of adolescents and young adults receive front-line ALL treatment at one of these designated sites. Health insurance may play a pivotal role in adolescents and young adults’s ability to access SCC-level care, yet this relationship is not well understood. This project aims to clarify how specific insurance types influence access to specialized ALL care and to provide insight into the costs and health ben efits of switching care to a specialized care center.

“This research will provide a clearer picture of the relationship between the quality of a blood cancer patient’s health insurance and their health outcome,” says Parsons. “We’re grateful to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for funding this important research and for their commitment to identifying factors that drive disparities and inequities in accessing quality care.”