About CARIB CARES
Center’s Name: The Caribbean Cancer Research Center on Environmental and Natural Hazards (CARIB-CARES)
NCI grant: 1P20CA294096-01
Primary Institution: University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC)
Investigators:
Primary Investigators
- Dr. Ana Patricia Ortiz- contact PI (UPRCCC) Email: ana.ortiz7@upr.edu
- Dr. Pablo Méndez-Lázaro (University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus)
- Dr. Noreen Michael (University of the Virgin Islands [UVI])
Co-Investigators
- Dr. LaVerne Ragster (UVI)
- Dr. Nancy Cardona-Cordero (UPRCCC)
- Dr. Marievelisse Soto-Salgado
- Dr. Zack Guido (University of Arizona)
- Dr. Frank Muller-Karger (University of South Florida)
- Dr. Leticia Nogueira (American Cancer Society)
- Dr. Tracy Crane (University of Miami)
More Information
Background
In 2023, the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative, funded and established the
first five Exploratory Research Centers to foster and sustain transdisciplinary teams
that can explore various approaches to address the complex impacts of climate change
on health. In 2024, they funded an additional sixteen centers, including CARIB-CARES,
the only one addressing climate change effects on the cancer control continuum.
Theme
This research center will work collaboratively to assess the impact of multi-hazard
climate change-related stressors on the cancer control continuum across the US Caribbean
territories, Puerto Rico (PR) and the US Virgin Islands (USVI).
Vision
Help sustain resilient and healthy island communities by developing a diverse workforce
prepared to work in partnerships across disciplines and sectors to identify cancer
threats that are synergized with climate change pressures and to produce high quality,
actionable research to improve quality of life and well-being in the Caribbean.
Administrative Core
This core will support and oversee all the components. Additionally, this core will focus on:
- Training and capacity building in PR and the US Virgin Islands
- Increase infrastructure, capacity, and research related to the impact of extreme weather events on the cancer control continuum and health
- Foster the development of investigators with expertise in this area in the Caribbean
- Help guide extreme weather events mitigation efforts.
Community Engagement Core
Using a Human-Centered Design, this core will:
- Involve the communities of the US Caribbean as partners in the research process, where this research can become a tool used by
- Engender effective ways of supporting an increased understanding of extreme weather events impact and the linkage to public health issues in the cancer control continuum.
- Create and disseminate culturally and linguistically appropriate information to the diverse and challenged communities.
Research Project
This project will employ a multi-method approach to identify helpful strategies for addressing the accentuated risk of cancer and climate vulnerabilities of the US Caribbean. Taking on:
- An epidemiological study to assess the risk of cancer in PR and USVI in relation to climate vulnerabilities and socioenvironmental
- A cross-sectional study to assess understanding of extreme weather events and its effects on mobilizing pollution and affecting the quality of life among cancer patients and
- A qualitative study using key informants and focus groups to determine the needs, priorities, and capacities of stakeholder groups, cancer patients, and residents living in sites with low/high environmental disparities in relation to adaptation to climate-inducedvulnerabilities.