Stanford Cancer Institute




SCI Innovation Awardee

March 2023

Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health and of Medicine, was awarded a $50,000 SCI Innovation award for her project entitled “Promoting nutrition security among colorectal cancer survivors.” Dr. Goldman Rosas’ research focuses on addressing disparities in chronic diseases and cancer among racial/ethnic minority families.

Over 1.3 million Americans are living with colorectal cancer (CRC), the 4th most common cancer and 2nd leading cause of cancer death in the US. There is strong evidence that a nutritious diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables reduces the risk of death from CRC. However, only 9% of survivors reported that their diet was consistent with American Cancer Society nutrition guidelines based on the intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, red meat, and processed meat. Promoting nutrition security among CRC survivors is important, given its foundational impact on diet and health. Nutrition security is defined as consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being. Through the support of the SCI Cancer Innovation award, Dr. Goldman Rosas aims to develop an intervention to promote nutrition security for racially/ethnically diverse CRC survivors. The specific aims of her project are to examine the nutrition needs of CRC survivors with nutrition insecurity and determine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel nutrition security intervention for CRC survivors. The data from this pilot study will serve as preliminary data for an R01 grant aimed at rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of a nutrition security intervention for improving nutrition security and diet among CRC survivors.