The Community Foundation for Brevard has awarded a $114,000 medical research grant to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine—South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center—that will support leading-edge work aimed at improving cancer survivors’ quality of life.
Led by Akina Natori, MD, MSPH, and Frank J. Penedo, PhD, the study—“Web-Based Stress Management and Health Promotion Intervention in Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship”—will create and test an online program to help survivors of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) manage stress, build coping skills, and regain confidence after treatment.
Survivors of head and neck cancer often face serious physical and emotional challenges long after their treatment ends, including difficulty swallowing or speaking, chronic pain, fatigue, and depression. In Florida, the number of younger adults surviving HPV-related OPC continues to grow, but many struggle to access survivorship care due to demanding work schedules, transportation issues, or lack of local programs.
This project aims to address those barriers by offering a free, accessible, web-based resource that survivors can complete on their own schedule, from anywhere. The research team will adapt a proven model—Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM)—specifically for HPV-positive head and neck cancer survivors, incorporating feedback from both survivors and clinicians to ensure it meets their distinct needs. CBSM teaches relaxation, positive thinking, communication, and goal setting to enhance health and resilience—a model that has the potential to make a wide-reaching impact in Florida and beyond.
“The digital delivery of a cognitive behavioral approach to survivors of a less well-studied cancer is innovative,” noted the Community Foundation’s Medical Research Advisory Committee. “This format may have applications beyond head and neck cancer and allows the intervention to reach participants outside of South Florida, expanding access to much-needed survivorship support.”
The Community Foundation for Brevard’s Medical Research Grant Program is funded through the generosity of Kenneth R. Finken and Frank R. Leslie, two Brevard County residents whose lasting legacies continue to fuel advances in science and medicine. Through their endowed funds, the Foundation invests annually in pioneering research that holds promise for improving, prolonging, and saving lives, alternating its focus each year between Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
“This work represents the best of what our donors make possible,” said Theresa Grimison, Community Foundation President and CEO. “Together, we are bringing hope, healing, and better outcomes to people and families in our communities.”
