The Cancer Screening Project for Women is the first study of women ™s decisions surrounding cancer screening that focuses on an entire state and encompasses both urban and suburban health care settings, said Clark. The small size of the state and the presence of a single medical school “ Brown Medical School “ provide a unique opportunity for study results to effect policy and health care practices for an entire population of women.

The results of our study can be used to inform a whole system of care, Clark said. In order for health care professionals to care for women in the best possible ways, it is critical for them to know what issues are important to women.

Researchers plan to share the project ™s findings with physicians and other health care professionals such as mammography technicians and nurses, and the state ™s policy-makers.

The study is currently recruiting 600 unmarried women between the ages of 40 and 75 for the second phase. All information will be kept confidential. Participants will be randomly assigned to provide information in one of three ways: by telephone, by computer, or by filling out a questionnaire by hand. Anyone interested in more information should call toll-free (866) 434-2384, or email Cancer_Screening_Projectbrown.

The Cancer Screening Project for Women is supported by a $459,000 award from the National Cancer Institute. Clark is collaborating on the study with other researchers affiliated with Brown ™s Department of Community Health and Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, including Laura Bonacore, Shirley Wright, Gene Armstrong, and William Rakowski,