About VA-ACCERT Center
The VA-ACCERT Center is dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable cancer prevention strategies to improve health outcomes for individuals living in income-based housing. By fostering community partnerships and engaging in shared leadership with residents, the initiative aims to address social drivers of health and reduce the barriers to effective cancer prevention care.
As mounting evidence highlights the role of neighborhoods and physical environment in health and well-being, the need to address structural and social drivers of health becomes increasingly urgent. To do so effectively and sustainably, authentic community engagement is critical.
The VA-ACCERT Center collaborates with housing communities across Virginia to tailor evidence-based cancer prevention strategies and co-create sustainable solutions to prevent cancer and improve well-being for residents of income-based housing.
Research shows that zip codes and neighborhood environments play a significant role in health outcomes. Structural factors—like housing quality and access to grocery stores—combined with social drivers of health contribute to disparities in cancer prevention and care.
Residents in income-based housing often experience higher levels of community stress, social isolation, and limited access to health resources. They may also have less opportunity for education and lower health literacy, all of which contribute to elevated cancer risk.
In Virginia, about 45,000 households receive housing assistance, with many facing numerous barriers to health, such as low health literacy, lack of access to digital tools to access health information, chronic stress and food insecurity.
The VA-ACCERT Center employs targeted strategies to address these challenges:
- Enhancing health literacy for income-based residents
- Building trust and confidence in health interventions
- Promoting digital access to health education
- Combating food insecurity through community-driven solutions
- Improving communication between Public Housing Agency staff and residents
Learn more about social drivers of health affecting access to cancer care
VA-ACCERT leadership and organization
The VA-ACCERT Center tackles the broader social and structural factors that shape health outcomes, focusing on innovative solutions to improve individual well-being and strengthen community health. Through a series of research initiatives, the Center works hand-in-hand with income-based housing communities to create meaningful, sustainable change.
Goals of the Center are to:
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Engaging communities in research: Recruit residents from 12 income-based housing communities to participate in a multi-level, community-based intervention
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Developing community-responsive research: Design research projects in collaboration with income-based housing communities to address their unique needs and priorities
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Training future leaders in the science of community engagement: Equip early-stage investigators with the skills and knowledge to conduct authentic community-engaged research, with a particular focus on the context of income-based housing
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Expanding national impact: Collaborate with other ACCERT Centers to share insights and amplify the reach of efforts nationwide
Meet the team and explore research happening within the center
Events
Closing the Gap Summit
VA-ACCERT will host our second collaborative Closing the Gap: Cancer Risk Reduction Summit on March 21, 2026, at EVMS Waitzer Hall (735 Fairfax Ave, Norfolk, VA 23507) on the ODU Medical Campus in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Summit brings together researchers, clinicians, and community members to identify community-driven cancer risk reduction priorities for individuals living in income-based housing. This full-day event will include presentations from academics and clinicians studying cancer risk reduction and rich discussion with the HCCAB members and other local community partners.
Ideas generated at the Summit will directly shape VA-ACCERT’s upcoming Community Responsive Research Project (CRRP 3) funding opportunity. VA-ACCERT will release a Notice of Funding Opportunity specifically for ODU EVMS investigators to support one community-engaged cancer prevention project in income-based housing communities across Virginia, with up to $145,000 in funding over two and a half years. The CRRPs are designed to turn community-identified priorities from the Summit into actionable research projects by pairing academic researchers with community partners.
Summit attendance is mandatory for submitting a Letter of Intent due by May 22, 2026. Our informational webinar will be on April 7, 2026 at 1:00 pm EST.
