Elevate Lab Research Impact

Improved Health Outcomes

Elevate Lab initiatives aimed at improving healthcare delivery for medically underserved populations have led to better health outcomes, influenced healthcare policy and driven innovations in clinical care — particularly in women's health and cancer care.

• Cancer Patient Navigators have supported cancer screening services, patient education and reduced barriers to healthcare access for more than 1,300 older adults with limited English proficiency or other language barriers. We increased mammogram screening rates from 36 percent to 72 percent and reduced the uninsured rate among our patients from 36.9 percent to 6.6 percent.
• Research from the Elevate Lab on patient navigation directly informed the Breast Cancer Screening and Treatment Quality Act (IL 95-1045), which was successfully enacted into law. This work has contributed to reducing the Black–White breast cancer mortality disparity among women in Chicago from 62 percent to 37 percent.
• Community Doulas and Maternal Health Navigators have enhanced prenatal care access and provided labor supported for 400 women from under-resourced communities.
• More than 25,000 community residents have been reached through cancer education and outreach by the Chicago Cancer Health Collaborative (ChicagoCHEC).

Community Capacity-Building and Lifting Community Voices

Guided by the principle "nothing about us without us," our projects and initiatives are shaped and driven by community members throughout the entire research process — from design and implementation to sustainment beyond project completion. Elevate Lab seeks to shift health knowledge generation from academic institutions to community-based organizations to enhance community impact.

• Engaged 35 community-based organizations in health services research to advance health outcomes both locally and nationally.
• 18 cancer survivors, patient advocates and community leaders have been trained through the Community Scientist Program. These Community Scientists contribute valuable community perspectives and lived expertise to cancer researchers, helping ensure that innovative research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University benefits all Chicago communities.
• Through the Advancing Cancer Control Engaged Research through Transformative Solutions (ACCERT) and Comprehensive Partnerships to Enhance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) programs, 19 community-based organizations across Chicagoland have received research grants from the National Institutes of Health to lead projects aimed at improving cancer education, treatment and survivorship.

Stronger Healthcare and Science Workforce

The Elevate Lab has served as a launchpad for the next generation of healthcare providers, researchers and community health leaders. Our programs educate and empower learners across all levels and backgrounds — from high school students to postdoctoral scholars and from community members to future health professionals. 

• Research projects and initiatives have supported more than 170 jobs nationwide, including healthcare professionals, scientists, educators and patient advocates from different backgrounds and communities.
• 371 students — 78 percent from under-resourced backgrounds — have participated in cancer research and training through the Chicago Cancer HEalth Collaborative (ChicagoCHEC).
• 178 community college and undergraduate students from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, Northwestern University and City Colleges of Chicago have completed the eight-week ChicagoCHEC Fellows Program, which offers cancer research training, skill-building and professional development. The program has been highly effective in retaining students in STEM, with an undergraduate graduation rate of 86 percent — well above the national average. Notably, 74 percent of alumni are pursuing careers in cancer research or healthcare, and 40 percent have matriculated into graduate or medical school.
• "Career 911: Your Future Career in Medicine and Healthcare" is the world’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) focused on healthcare workforce development. Offered globally in a free, online format on Coursera, it has been completed by more than 29,000 students.

Access to Health Information and Clinical Trials 

Research from the Elevate Lab has improved public access to trustworthy, accurate health information, empowering individuals to make informed healthcare decisions, utilize preventive services and explore opportunities to participate in clinical trials.

• The Health for All and Navigating Wellness tools — developed in collaboration with Chicago Public Library partners — are publicly available resources designed to increase awareness and understanding of preventive health services and clinical trials. These tools aim to reduce distrust and foster meaningful conversations between researchers and patients about research participation, as well as between providers and patients about healthcare decisions.
• Community Forums have provided accessible educational workshops on cancer prevention and treatment innovations to more than 200 Chicago residents annually.
• The Elevate Lab has contributed to the work of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), enhancing the capacity of this national guideline-making body to promote person-centered care and improve the quality and consistency of USPSTF recommendations and the processes used to develop them.

Tools That Connect People and Healthcare Teams 

Our research has led to the development of innovative tools that enhance trust, communication and engagement between patients and healthcare teams — improving both the patient experience and clinical effectiveness.

• The OPTIMIZE perinatal care communication tool facilitates clinician–patient conversations to enhance communication and rebuild trust, with a focus on patients’ goals, concerns, barriers to care and maternal safety.
• Ongoing projects integrate artificial intelligence to enhance patient navigation and patient education for medically underserved populations in Chicago.
• Our partnership with the Center for Business Models in Healthcare/Executive Frameworks led to the development of the 4R Oncology Model (Right Information, Care, Patient, Time), which has improved the timeliness and appropriateness of care, patient engagement and self-management — especially in safety-net settings — through the use of structured care plans and checklists that support team-based delivery via integrated referrals and communication.