Activating Technology for Connected Health in Cancer: Protocol for a Research and Training Program

Abstract

BackgroundAs cancer survival rates increase, the challenge of ensuring that cancer survivors reclaim their quality of life (QoL) becomes more important. This paper outlines the research element of a research and training program that is designed to do just that.ObjectiveBridging sectors, disciplines, and geographies, it brings together eight PhD projects and students from across Europe to identify the underlying barriers, test different technology-enabled rehabilitative approaches, propose a model to optimize the patient pathways, and examine the business models that might underpin a sustainable approach to cancer survivor reintegration using technology.MethodsThe program, funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 722012, includes deep disciplinary PhD projects, intersectoral and international secondments, interdisciplinary plenary training schools, and virtual subject-specific education modules.ResultsThe 8 students have now been recruited and are at the early stages of their projects.ConclusionsCATCH will provide a comprehensive training and research program by embracing all key elements—technical, social, and economic sciences—required to produce researchers and project outcomes that are capable of meeting existing and future needs in cancer rehabilitation.

Sleep Quality among Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients: A Comparison between Subjective and Objective Measurements

“…Luis Fernandez-Luque from Salumedia Labs SLU, Spain, for this collaboration and for enabling a student exchange with partial financial support to facilitate this research work. We are also grateful to the members of the CATCH project [ 57 ] and Francisco Monteiro-Guerra for providing feedback on the conceptual versions of this article. In addition, we also acknowledge the support provided in part by Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU).…”

Interdisciplinary doctoral research networks: enhancers and inhibitors of social capital development

“…While each student works on a discreet doctoral research project, as a whole these projects hope to increase and expedite adoption of Connected Health models. CATCH (Cancer -Activating Technology for Connected Health 3 ) is composed of eight doctoral students from a variety of disciplines (medicine, computer science, physiotherapy) who will bridge the gap between cancer survivors' depleted physical and emotional state, and their ability to return to a fully functional societal role through technology supported physical exercise (Mountford et al 2018). TEAM (Technology Enabled Mental Health 4 ) focuses on key challenges in youth mental health: delivering new technologies to support rapid, large-scale, and early assessment, prevention and treatment and comprises of 15 doctoral students with qualifications in psychology, computer science, interaction design, health sciences, and law.…”

What PhD students want from career-related modules: the CHAMELEONS project - An evaluation of three interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral and international modules

“…At a professional and research level, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral networks are on the increase with established researchers collaborating within and across disciplines to increase and improve innovation, creativity and knowledge. More recently, this is being mirrored by the establishment of interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral doctoral research networks, the intention of which is to train PhD graduates for careers both within and outside academia and who are equipped to address societal challenges (see for example Mountford et al, 2018). Such collaborative doctoral programs can assist the knowledge society in finding innovative ways of approaching the world's problems by asking creative questions and finding creative solutions within multiple employment contexts.…”