Research at Fox Chase »Research Facilities »Behavioral Science

The purpose of the Behavioral Research Core Facility (BRCF) is to facilitate psychosocial assessment and intervention research in the areas of:

• adaptation, stress and coping, quality of life, and quality of care;
• decision-making (e.g., about cancer risk assessment and genetic testing, risk reduction and treatment options, and clinical trial participation);
• adherence to prevention, screening, diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up guidelines; and
• behavioral lifestyle changes (e.g., smoking cessation, exercise, diet).

The Facility is guided by an overarching conceptual framework that specifies the cognitive and social processes that determine the individual's response to cancer risk, treatment, and survivorship, in conjunction with the incorporation of health communication and best practice approaches. To facilitate research in these areas, the BRCF has been organized into three main core functions:

• Psychosocial Theory and Assessment;
• Psychosocial Protocols and Interventions;
• Strategic Alliances for Recruitment and Retention, Translation, and Dissemination.

Function	Services	Resources
Psychosocial Theory and Assessment	Consultation in theory and study design Selection of validated behavioral and health assessment tools Adaptation of existing and/or development of instruments to service specific study needs Establishment of the psychometric properties of adapted/new study instruments Development of focus group and interview guides Training in the conduct of qualitative studies and interpretation of qualitative data	Catalogue of literature Assessment library Training of focus group moderators or interviewers, or access to trained, experienced focus group leaders and interviewers Qualitative analysis software/techniques and/or develop coding scheme
Psychosocial Protocols and Interventions	Consultation in tailored health communications and decision aids Adaptation of interventions to specific research needs Review of content for health communications Protocol Development Specialized services such as tobacco control	Catalogue of intervention and control protocols Training in the use of psychosocial and/or behavioral protocols Supervision of research staff to ensure adherence to and standardization of study protocol Readability and usability testing; Content Review
Strategic Alliances for Recruitment, Retention, Translation and Dissemination	Consultation on recruitment and retention strategies with a special focus on barriers to clinical trials and care among target study populations Establishment of linkages to community based organizations for research projects Provision of communication strategies to support sustained partnerships	Partnership database Partnership guidelines and staff training Catalogues and protocols for diffusion and dissemination strategies Training research staff in partnership models