Hong Awarded Grant for Mobile Health Research

Yan Hong, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) School of Rural Public Health, has received $50,000 from the Scott & White Healthcare Research Grants Program to conduct mobile health research. The project, “Designing and testing mobile applications for older cancer survivors to use community resources,” will design and test a web and mobile technology-based program to disseminate community resources and promote physical activity among older cancer survivors in Texas.

“Physical activity benefits cancer survivors in many different ways and is crucial for survivorship and good quality of life, though most cancer survivors do not adhere to regular physical activities,” Dr. Hong said. “This pilot study will utilize the widely accessible mobile technologies – Internet, cell phones and tablets – to disseminate community resources and promote physical activities among older cancer survivors.”

The interdisciplinary research team working with Dr. Hong will include Regents Professor Marcia Ory, Ph.D., TAMHSC-School of Rural Public Health; Angie Hochhalter, Ph.D., and Jana Reynolds, M.D., TAMHSC-College of Medicine and Scott & White; Deborah Vollmer Dahlke, project director at the Texas Life Science Foundation; and organizations including the Cancer Alliance of Texas, the International Council of Active Aging and the Brazos Valley Area Agency on Aging.