Arya Sharma
Research Mentor(s): Bradley Zebrack
Mentor Department: Social Work
Authors: Arya Sharma, Bradley Zebrack
Session: Session 7 (4:00pm – 4: 50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 24
Abstract
Cancer healthcare is extremely varied, with many different treatment methods and advancements in the field (McDowell et. al, 2019). Not only have studies shown that healthcare must incorporate the mind as well (Caruso, Breitbart, 2020), but that different social identities can impact a person’s genetics in a significant manner, a field called Social Genomics (Slavich, Cole, 2013). As such, this study aims to examine the intersections between various identities, environmental risk, and resilience factors in Adolescent and Young Adult survivors (AYAs). This study will observe self reported participant life events and mental health responses to a survey, and correlate that with biological data (CTRA Pathway) from blood samples delivered at six month intervals for two years. As these genes can help predict disease development, progression, clinical outcomes, morbidity, and mortality, they are a key factor to analyze (Cole, 2019). We expect that greater social-environmental risk factors will have a correlation with greater expression of CTRA genes, and specifically, vulnerable populations will show greater CTRA gene expression resulting in greater rates of morbidity and mortality. This study will hopefully help identify vulnerable populations that may be overlooked or underrepresented in traditional cancer research and post-cancer support, and allow for more comprehensive prevention, care, and support models. Coordinating the two types of data will occur through Excel, and the overall results will be evaluated using linear models, descriptive statistics, and mediation analyses.
