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Research

The STELLAR Center’s Main Aims

  1. Integrate telehealth-based health promotion assessment and treatment into cancer care procedures at Northwestern Medicine hospitals
  2. Conduct a randomized trial comparing a facilitated program to a self-guided program, and assess its impact on outreach, health outcomes, and healthcare costs
  3. Disseminate findings, resources, and lessons learned with the NCI, TRACE Centers, and other health systems

STELLAR Center

The STELLAR Center includes four main components: an Administrative Core, a Research and Methods Core, a Clinical Practice Network, and a Pragmatic Trial + Pilot Studies.

The Administrative Core coordinates the transdisciplinary efforts across all components of the STELLAR program.

Key Objectives

  • Provide management, coordination & evaluation of STELLAR components & activities within a cohesive organizational infrastructure​
  • Facilitate & oversee communication & engagement across the STELLAR Center to enhance research capacity of studies & sustainability of tools & programs
  • Accelerate dissemination of project processes, tools, & findings (locally & nationally) to advance robust evidence base for integrated telehealth cancer care

Components of Administrative Core
The Administrative Core is comprised of five components created to direct work integral to the STELLAR Center’s goals. 

Steering Committee Operations Group Evaluation Center Equity Working Group Dissemination and Education Committee
Create the STELLAR Center’s policies and procedures Coordinate day-to-day tasks and timelines Monitor and evaluate progress (scientific, fiscal, dissemination, reach) Oversee matters of TechQuity and cultural tailoring of materials for the Spanish-speaking participants in our trial Ensure the STELLAR Center’s outputs are shared and ensure training for early-career investigators

Advisory Boards
The Administrative Core is in charge of assembling and managing the Advisory Boards that will guide the STELLAR Center’s activities. 

The Research and Methods Core offers expert guidance on research design, measurement, and analytics to ensure the success of all STELLAR Center’s activities.

Key Objectives

  • Provide expertise in the development, integration, and implementation of telehealth and digital health tools
  • Design innovative telehealth assessments and strategies that incorporate mixed, effective, and implementation research methods
  • Supply biostatistics, informatics, and technical support to the Rapid Cycle Pilot Studies and Pragmatic Trial
  • Evaluate and disseminate the approaches and findings of the STELLAR Program

The Northwestern Medicine’s healthcare system spans throughout metropolitan Chicago, consisting of eleven hospitals across five regions. Among these hospitals, nine have cancer centers that treats about 16,000 new patients per year. The cancer care system upholds academic and community practices that deliver the full continuum of cancer care including primary treatment, palliative care, and post-treatment survivorship care. All 52 oncology clinics are integrated through a single electronic health record system, a single telehealth platform, and an integrated, comprehensive data warehouse.

An important mission of the STELLAR Center is to extend cancer care to low-income and minority communities across Chicago. To accomplish this goal, we partnered with ChicagoCHEC (Cancer Health Equity Collaborative), an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Partnership dedicated to promoting cancer health equity for the past eight years. ChicagoCHEC has also established partnerships with over 20 community organizations including Alliance Chicago.

The strength of the STELLAR network lies in our clinical, operations, and administrative champions group. The Lurie Cancer Center is centered in our flagship hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH). Together, the Lurie Cancer Center and NMH spearhead system-wide coordination of cancer care. This effort is done at the leadership level through the Cancer Steering Committee and the Cancer Committee. The champion team in each region comprises the lead medical oncologist, a nurse navigator, and the operations lead for the region.

The STELLAR pragmatic trial is designed to provide support for cancer survivors as they transition to post-primary treatment survivorship. This trial consists of two arms: the Facilitated Group and the Self-Guided Group. STELLAR’s digital platform identifies patients who could benefit from health promoted behaviors such as smoking cessation, weight management, and physical activity. Participants are then enrolled in the trial and randomized into one of the groups.

Potential eligible patients are identified through 3 pathways:

  • 1) Provider Referral: Members of the patient’s cancer care team can directly refer their patients to the STELLAR program.
  • 2) Patient Reported Outcome Survey: Prior to an appointment at NM, patients may complete short surveys within MyNM. Based on their responses to our STELLAR PRO, patients’ information will be sent to the study team.
  • 3) The Electronic Data Warehouse (EDW): Patients who have agreed to be contacted for research are entered into the Electronic Data Warehouse, which is a data repository for all NM clinical data systems including EHRs and cancer tumor registries. 

All cancer survivors who could benefit from at least two health promotion programs (physical activity, weight management, or smoking cessation) are automatically referred to the STELLAR study and will be virtually screened by a STELLAR staff member. Screening includes physical activity readiness, questions about telehealth access and comfort using technology, cancer diagnosis characteristics demographics, and preferred language. The screening process can take place in person or virtually depending on candidate’s preference
Participants will complete online questionnaires about weight, smoking status, and physical activity, as well as questionnaires about leisure time exercise, care utilization, care quality, patient-provider communication, shared decision-making, symptoms and functioning, and quality of life
Participants are randomized into either the Facilitated Group or the Self-Guided Group.

  • Facilitated Group participants will receive 16 scheduled calls from their health promotionist and the self-monitoring app to track their target health behavior (smoking, physical activity, and/or body weight and diet) daily.
  • Self-Guided Group participants will receive a pamphlet containing National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline materials about cancer health behaviors and resources to address their health behavior.
Both groups will receive follow-up assessments at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months involving the same measurements as at baseline.

  • Facilitated Group participants will be instructed to maintain their health behavior changes during the follow-up period. They will have access to all materials to which they were assigned and will receive scheduled calls from the health promotionist.
  • Self-Guided Group participants will be allowed to keep their written materials.

The STELLAR pilot program is to gain insights into patients’ immediate requirements for health promotion services and treatment, alongside understanding healthcare providers’ viewpoints regarding the STELLAR study and their thoughts on engaging patients effectively throughout the STELLAR initiative.

Survey Type Information Captured
Patient Needs Assessment Survey Demographics, health behaviors, telehealth usage and literacy, social determinants of health, etc.
Patient Follow-Up Interview Preferences and opinions on health promotion treatment and resources
Healthcare Provider Interview Thoughts and insights on patient engagement and progress during STELLAR program

 

Want to learn more about the STELLAR program as a potential participant or provider?
Contact the STELLAR Program at stellar@northwestern.edu or 312-503-1119.