Our Research

To strengthen HPV immunization infrastructure and performance, the CDC awarded public health funding to 11 states in 2013, including Massachusetts. Funding to the MA Department of Public Health established the MA HPV Vaccination Initiative, a one-year grant funded project based on the President's Panel Report and the subsequent national call to action to increase HPV vaccination to prevent cancer. Already a national leader in HPV vaccine uptake and HPV-related cancer prevention, Massachusetts's Department of Public Health (MA DPH) used the CDC funding to undertake 4 specific tasks, the first of which was to bring together partners and stakeholders from across the Commonwealth.

Tablet-Based Patient Education Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Colposcopy Clinic.

The aim of this study was to use an electronic, tablet–based education module to increase patient knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV). Patients presenting to an academic colposcopy clinic were first queried as to whether they had been infected with HPV. A quality improvement project was then conducted using a 4-question pretest assessing baseline knowledge about HPV and cancer, followed by a tablet-based education module and a 5-question post test.

Educational Interventions on Human Papillomavirus for Oral Health Providers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on HPV infection, HPV-related cancers and prevention modalities to improve Oral Health Care Providers (OHPs) knowledge and awareness about these topics, considering the rise of HPV-related malignancies in the USA. Educational sessions on HPV were offered to OHPs between 2016 and 2018 in the New England area. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire both before and after each session. Responses from the pre-questionnaire were compared to those from the post-questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of the lectures in increasing HPV-related knowledge of the OHPs.