Nichols awarded $330K grant to study birth outcomes of young women with cancer
July 28, 2017
Dr. Hazel Nichols
Hazel B. Nichols, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been awarded a three-year, $330,000 grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to examine the use of fertility preservation after a cancer diagnosis in adolescent and young adult (AYA) women.
Women diagnosed with cancer before age 40 often are concerned about whether they will be able to have children in the future. They may choose to freeze their eggs or embryos (known as fertility preservation) to help protect their fertility, but these services may not be widely available.
Nichols has studied women in North Carolina who have had children after cancer treatment and whether the health of their babies is different from women without cancer. She also is examining the use of fertility preservation after cancer diagnosis and its association with birth rates and outcomes. This research will provide information to improve the long-term health of AYAs with cancer.
“Although there are methods to try and protect future fertility for young women who are having cancer treatment, it’s not clear how often women access these methods,” Nichols said. “Our research will focus on a diverse group of women in North Carolina to provide population-based estimates on the use of fertility preservation, and to identify groups that may have lower access to services.”
St. Baldrick’s Foundation is the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. Since 2005, the foundation has funded more than $20 million in lifesaving childhood research grants to support every stage of the research process. Nichols’ grant project, one of 90 new awards totaling $23.5 million, addresses one of St. Baldrick’s priority areas for 2017—the health of adolescents and young adults with a cancer diagnosis.
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu
