Since joining the University of Kentucky College of Public Health in 2019, Dr. Aaron J. Kruse-Diehr, Assistant Professor in the Health, Behavior and Society (HBS) department, has engaged in multiple research activities, mostly centered on increasing colorectal cancer screening rates in populations with disparate outcomes.
He has taken on various roles, including co-investigator of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cancer Moonshot℠-funded multilevel intervention to increase screening rates in primary care clinics in Appalachian Kentucky.
In addition, Dr. Kruse-Diehr is principal investigator of the Center for Clinical and Translation Science (CCTS)/Markey Cancer Center-funded "Early Career Investigator" pilot award to explore facilitators and barriers in screening among African Americans in partnership with five African American churches in Louisville.
In 2020, Dr. Kruse-Diehr was accepted to, and completed, the NCI Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (TIDIRC) and the University of Pennsylvania Implementation Science Institute multi-day workshop, both of which bolstered his skills in applying implementation science theories and frameworks to his own research.
Over the next year, Dr. Kruse-Diehr is putting together an R01 proposal that builds upon his pilot work with the goal of adapting and implementing community-based colorectal cancer screening interventions in collaboration with African American churches and local organizations throughout Louisville.
Dr. Kruse-Diehr is also partnering with a colleague, Dr. Brittany Smalls at the UK College of Medicine, to adapt and test a community-based peer support intervention to improve clinical outcomes related to type 2 diabetes among rural Kentucky residents.
Most recently, in February 2022, Dr. Kruse-Diehr assumed the role of director for the CCTS Community Leadership Institute of Kentucky (CLIK).
