Doctoral candidate Black awarded University Cancer Research Fund grant

July 23, 2015

Kristin Black

Kristin Z. Black, doctoral candidate in maternal and child health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF).

Black, who is minoring in epidemiology, was selected for her “strong academic ability and potential to contribute to finding and implementing public health solutions.”

“Receiving the UCRF award is truly an honor,” Black said. “The funding supports my mixed-methods dissertation work at a critical time, when I’m planning to interview young breast cancer survivors across the state about their reproductive needs and experiences after cancer treatment.”

Given disparities in the rate of breast cancer incidence between black and white women, Black’s research explores potential disparities in the reproductive health of these survivors.

“Since there is limited information on the birth outcomes of breast cancer survivors,” she said, “my aims are to contribute to medical and public health entities’ ability to serve this population holistically, eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes and improve survivorship.”

The UCRF is a State of North Carolina initiative to fund innovative research to detect, treat and prevent cancer, the leading cause of death in the state. The fund is administered by the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the state’s only public, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.