Our Work
Discover our latest publications, news, and ongoing projects that highlight the impact of our work.
Our Work
ALIGN (Assessing Lifestyle Intervention Gaps and Needs)
Assessing Needs and Preferences for a Multilevel Lifestyle Intervention among Cancer Survivors and Primary Care Providers
We are investigating how to improve follow-up care for cancer survivors by identifying barriers and facilitators to delivering lifestyle interventions in primary care. Through surveys, interviews, and focus groups with survivors and physicians, this study aims to inform the development of practical, effective, and patient-centered interventions.
HARVEST Chicago
We are collaborating to develop a digital nutrition education tool to address food insecurity and diet quality in medically underserved cancer survivors and patients with high familial risk of cancer at UI Health’s Mile Square Health Center.
Digital Health Tools
We are currently developing digital health tools to provide comprehensive and personalized support to cancer survivors.
ThriveWell
This research study aims to better understand how cancer survivors interact with an AI-based recipe tool designed to help users find and create recipes that support healthy living. Participant feedback will be used to inform the development of the tool.
ThriveScore
This digital health tool aims to digitize and validate evidence based cancer prevention recommendations to enable real-time monitoring of health behaviors and cancer risk.
Publications
- Ferguson M, Reading J, Tussing-Humphreys L, Chakos K, Dufelmeier D, Atchinson A, Pitt E, Prabhakar K, Verghese L, Giurini L, Floyd B, Ganschow P, Molina Y, Fitzgibbon M, Bergeron N. Community led design of a digital nutrition education tool to address food insecurity and diet quality among individuals at high cancer risk: Findings from the Development Year of HARVEST Chicago [poster]. Presented at: 19th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2026 Oct 18-21; Atlanta, GA.
- Negrete M, Nowak A, Hickey BB, Bandealy Z, Lingala NMR, Thalluru RP, Marquez DX, Reading, JM. Multilevel Barriers to Exercise in Racially Diverse Cancer Survivors. Poster presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, May 2026.
- Wolter M, Wang S, Pincever P, Frey J, Solk P, Reading J, Hasanaj K, Freeman H, Wang L, Webb F, Phillips S. Associations between Muscle Strengthening Activities Characteristics and Patient Reported Physical Health, Mental Health, and Fatigue in Cancer Survivors. Poster Presentation Accepted at: 47th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Chicago, IL/USA. April 2026.
- Rich AR, Bandealy A, Wafford QE, Hickey B, Solk P, Starikovsky J, Hasanaj K, Wang S, Frey J, Phillips SM, Reading JM. (2025). Representation in Clinical Trials Evaluating Lifestyle Interventions Targeting Energy Balance in Cancer Survivors: A Scoping Review. Abstract accepted for online publication, American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. May 30 June 3, 2025. ASCO