UTHealth Houston Receives $2.9 Million CDC Award to Expand Colorectal Cancer Screening Across Texas

Published: January 14, 2026

UTHealth Houston has been awarded more than $2.9 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue and expand a five?year initiative focused on increasing colorectal cancer screening, follow?up, and treatment across Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Texas.

Led by the UTHealth Houston Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR) in collaboration with the UTHealth Institute for Implementation Science, the award is part of the CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP)—a national effort to increase screening among populations with historically low screening rates through evidence?based interventions and partnerships with safety?net healthcare systems.

“CHPPR has served as a lead organization in the CDC CRCCP in Texas for the past five years, and we are thrilled to continue this important work,” said Maria E. Fernández, PhD. “The cross-school collaboration that included not only the School of Public Health but also the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics’ Center for Quality Health IT Improvement has allowed us to provide essential support to help FQHCs offer the best care for their patients. As a result, many clinics have been able to implement and sustain evidence?based strategies that have resulted in increases in colorectal cancer screening among patients most in need of these services. The new award builds on this strong foundation and will allow the team to scale successful approaches, strengthen follow?up and treatment pathways, and deepen partnerships statewide.”

The initiative is co?led by Fernández and Bijal Balasubramanian, MBBS, PhD, nationally recognized leaders in cancer prevention and implementation science. Their shared vision is to close persistent gaps in colorectal cancer outcomes by embedding sustainable, data?driven, and evidence?based practices into Texas’s safety?net healthcare systems.

Colorectal cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer?related deaths in the United States, and Texas continues to rank among the lowest states for screening, particularly among patients served by FQHCs. These disparities are especially evident in East Texas and the Greater Houston area, where patients often face structural barriers such as limited access to specialty care, transportation challenges, and financial constraints.

To address these challenges, CHPPR is leading the Texas Colorectal Cancer Consortium (TC3)—a long?standing coalition that includes FQHCs, state agencies, academic partners such as UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Health Science Center Tyler, the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC), the American Cancer Society, the Cancer Alliance of Texas, and other key partners. TC3 members bring extensive experience from prior CRCCP work and a strong record of collaboration to support effective implementation of colorectal cancer screening interventions in clinical settings.

Through this new phase of the program, TC3 will partner with six FQHC systems encompassing 26 clinics in East Texas and Greater Houston to implement a comprehensive, multi?strategy approach that strengthens partnerships between FQHCs and community?based organizations, supports implementation of evidence?based interventions, enhances data monitoring and reporting, and improves clinic workflows, referral coordination, and cross?sector partnerships to better address social determinants of health.

To ensure patients receive not only screening but also timely diagnostic follow?up and treatment, the program will work closely with Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)–funded efforts, including MD Anderson’s Project 80%, Moncrief Cancer Institute, Texas A&M C?STEP, and a newly funded CRCS Prevention Program at UTHealth Houston.

Over the next five years, the Texas Colorectal Cancer Consortium aims to increase screening rates by at least 50%, improve provider adherence to screening guidelines, and strengthen electronic health record systems to better track patient outcomes and referral pathways. The ultimate goal is to create a scalable and sustainable model for integrating evidence?based colorectal cancer screening and follow?up practices within FQHCs across Texas.

This CDC?funded initiative will work in tandem with CHPPR’s broader colorectal cancer prevention and control efforts, including the Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Control Program (CRCPC) supported by the Hope Through Grace Endowment and the recent prevention program award from CPRIT. By combining tailored patient education, community outreach and engagement, and the effective implementation of proven screening strategies, CHPPR and its TC3 partners aim to reduce cancer disparities and improve long?term health outcomes for communities throughout Texas.