Period: 2019-2025.

Problem: A positive HPV result can have a negative psychosocial impact on those who take the HPV test. Counseling spaces where information and support is provided to women screened with the HPV test require human and material resources that are not always available in the health system. An app can be a low-cost, easy-to-use tool that can radically change the way the population accesses evidence-based information.

Objectives: To develop and test an application to increase knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer, reduce the psychosocial impact of HPV testing and increase adherence to follow-up in the care process.

Funded by: National Cancer Institute/US National Institutes of Health through an R21 grant for the development of digital health solutions // Conquer Cancer – ASCO foundation (American Society of Clinical Oncology (Phase 1).

Period: 2017-2021.

Problem: Low coverage of adherence to Pap triage for women with positive HPV self-test.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of an ICT-based intervention – the sending of text messages (SMS) via cell phone to women and health workers – to increase access to the triage Pap for women who have tested positive from the HPV self-test.

Funded by: National Cancer Institute / National Cancer Institutes of Health – R01.

Period: 2022-2023.

Problem: For the design of a cell phone application and its contents aimed at cervical cancer prevention, it is also necessary to know the point of view of the health professionals involved so that its implementation is feasible. This will make it possible to introduce into the health care routine a tool for articulation between women and health care providers.

Objectives: To understand the organizational factors that influence the incorporation of mobile applications in cervical cancer prevention from the perspective of professionals in primary health care services in the province of Buenos Aires.

Funded by: National Cancer Institute – National Ministry of Health (Grantee: Paula Frejdkes).

Period: 2019-2022.

Problem: Low coverage of access to screening mammography.

Objectives: To evaluate the implementation of an intervention using an automatic text message (SMS) invitation system to promote participation in mammography screening among women aged 50 to 69 years in the province of Santa Fe.

Funded by: National Cancer Institute.

Period: 2020-2022.

Problem: Lack of information and access to information about HPV (human papillomavirus) and cervical cancer.

Objectives: To generate evidence about the information needs of women with HPV+ test results in order to contribute to the development of communication strategies that reduce the psychosocial impact of HPV+ testing.

Funded by: CONICET (Lucila Szwarc postdoctoral fellowship).

Period: 2024-2025.

Problem: The analysis of the scaling up of the HPV screening strategy in programmatic conditions in Argentina is fundamental to evaluate the impact of the screening, identify the programmatic components that need to be improved.

Objectives: to describe the programmatic implementation of HPV screening in Argentina after the completion of the Jujuy Demonstration Project. For this purpose, we will analyze two case studies in two selected provinces to identify obstacles and facilitators in the implementation of scale-up.

Funded by: International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization.

Period: 2023-2024.

Problem: In Argentina, the Demonstration Project for the Introduction of HPV Testing in Jujuy (PDJ) 2012-2014 showed an improvement of HPV testing in terms of effectiveness, organization and adoption of programmatic components compared to a program based on Papanicolaou screening. However, there is no evidence on the implementation of HPV testing in the long term.

Objectives: To evaluate the scope, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and sustainability of the HPV screening strategy during the years 2015-2022 in the province of Jujuy.

Funded by: National Ministry of Health – Dirección de Investigación para la Salud – Becas SALUD INVESTIGA 2023-2024 (Multi-Investigator Study).

Period: 2021-2023.

Problem: Low adherence to Pap triage in women with positive HPV self-test.

Objectives:Toanalyze the sociodemographic, economic and technical-institutional factors that influence adherence to triage of women with positive HPV in the framework of the implementation of the modality of HPV self-testing (AT-VPH), in the public health system in the province of Jujuy between 2015 and 2016.

Funded by: CONICET (Anabella Le Pera Doctoral Scholarship)

Period: 2011-2016.

Problem: limitations in interventions aimed at reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality, some of them inherent to the use of screening methods based on conventional cytology (Pap).

Objectives:

1. valuate the effectiveness of HPV testing for the detection of CIN2+ lesions compared to cytology testing as primary screening;
2. evaluate the HPV test implementation process.

Funded by: National Ministry of Health.

Period: 2016-2019.

Objectives: tovalidate the PSICO-ESTAMPA scale to measure the psychosocial impact of HPV testing, in the framework of primary screening to prevent cervical cancer,
to have a cross-culturally valid instrument for use in Latin American countries.

Funded by: International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (IARC-WHO).

Period: 2018-2020.

Problem: Lack of evidence on barriers and facilitators to implementation of the HPV self-testing strategy in programmatic settings.

Objectives: toevaluate the fidelity of the implementation of the HPV self-testing strategy according to the model presented in the EMA Project (EMA Strategy) in the Municipality of La Matanza.

Funded by: National Cancer Institute- Argentina.

Period: 2012-2013. Objectives:to evaluate the effectiveness of self-tests offered by health agents in households to increase screening coverage for cervical cancer prevention. Funded by: National Ministry of Health – International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (IARC-WHO).

Period: 2017-2018.

Problem: Low rates of adherence to triage, diagnosis and treatment in the context of HPV self-testing for cervical cancer prevention.

Objectives: toanalyze the magnitude and social determinants of adherence to triage, diagnosis and treatment of HPV+ women in the context of HPV self-testing.

Funded by: Dirección de Investigación para la Salud. SALUD INVESTIGA “Dr. Abraam Sonis” Grants (Multicenter Projects Category).

Period: 2017-2021.

Problem: Low rates of adherence to triage, diagnosis and treatment in the context of HPV self-testing for cervical cancer prevention.

Objectives:

1. to measure adherence to diagnosis and treatment in an HPV self-testing screening setting;
2. to analyze the relationship between women’s sociodemographic characteristics and adherence to triage; 3) to describe the barriers and facilitators (socio-structural, symbolic and institutional) to adherence to triage, diagnosis and treatment in a context of screening with HPV self-testing, from the women’s perspective.

Funded by: Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT-2016-3064).

Period: 2017-2021.

Problem: Low screening coverage for cervical cancer prevention among indigenous populations in conditions of extreme socioeconomic vulnerability, with linguistic and cultural barriers to access health services.

Objectives: to evaluate the acceptability of the HPV test by self-testing among women aged 30 years and older in Alto de la Sierra, in the Chaco region of Salta, where the Wichí, Chorote and Creole populations live.

Funded by: Associació Nous Cims, Catalonia, Spain

Period: 2021-2025.

Problem: Low adherence to cervical cancer prevention guidelines.

Objectives:

1. to assess the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals, decision-makers and representatives of scientific societies regarding the WHO guidelines for cervical cancer prevention recommendations;
2. assess potential barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the WHO guidelines for cervical cancer prevention recommendations.

Funded by: IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC-WHO)

Period: 2019-2020.

Problem: Lack of guidelines to orient public policies for cancer promotion and prevention in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Objectives:

• To assess the perceptions of health professionals, decision makers and managers about a Latin American and Caribbean Code against Cancer (LACCC) as a cancer prevention tool (acceptability, feasibility and relevance).
• To evaluate the acceptability of the Code by the Latin American population, as well as their view on the possible ways to disseminate a CLCC as a tool to stimulate cancer prevention practices.
• Evaluate the preferences of the Latin American population regarding the contents (comprehension) and the way of presenting prevention messages (tone, use of language, phrasing, etc.) to be included in the CLCC (relevance and acceptability).

Funded by: IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (IARC-WHO).

Period: 2020-2021.

Problem:Difficulties in access and continuity of cervical cancer treatment in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives:

1. to measure the degree of adherence to treatment of women with CHD diagnosed before/after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic;
2. to evaluate the factors associated with non-compliance with treatment;
3. identify barriers and facilitators in access to CC treatment since the onset of the pandemic.

Funded by: National Ministry of Health – Dirección de Investigación para la Salud – SALUD INVESTIGA 2020 Grants (Multicenter Projects Category).

Period: March – April 2020.

Problem: Psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives:

1. to analyze the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 as well as the coping strategies used by the general population;
2. to analyze the relationship between psychosocial impact and adherence to ASPO.

Financed by: CEDES