Susan Rawl
ProfessorAdult Health Department, School of Nursing
Director, Training in Health Behavior Research
Roudebush VA Center of Excellence in Translating Research into Practice
Center for Enhancing Quality of Life in Chronic Illness
ude[dot]iupui[at]lwars
Tailored Interventions to Promote Colon Cancer Screening
My program of research is focused on the development and translation of science to reduce morbidity and mortality from colon cancer, a deadly yet preventable disease. This body of work has addressed health disparities focusing on people who suffer disproportionately from, and are at increased risk for, colon cancer including African Americans and first-degree relatives of colon cancer survivors. Over the past 12 years, I have built a strong and sustained research program that includes descriptive work, instrumentation studies and four intervention trials. With a strong interdisciplinary team of scientists from nursing, medicine, public health, health communication, and health services, we have developed and tested theory-based interventions using individually customized, or tailored, print and telephone counseling interventions to promote colon cancer screening. My current work is focused on using the newest technology to provide an interactive, computer-based program to deliver tailored health messages about colon cancer screening while patients wait to see their doctor. This project will encourage people to have a conversation about colon cancer screening, and make arrangements to complete the test, during their clinic visit. This project was designed for rapid dissemination and translation into clinical practice.