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Research Professor
Health Communications and Health Disparities
Co-Director, GMaP Region 4
Co-Lead, NCI's Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I)
Mission Statement:
The Fleisher Lab is committed to conducting pragmatic, real-world research that helps patients better understand their care through effective health communication, while working to reduce health disparities and bridge gaps in access. Building on more than 30 years of work in health disparities and communication, our team uses implementation science to bring evidence-based tools and interventions into both clinical and community settings. We are especially committed to reaching underserved populations and ensuring that solutions are not only developed and disseminated efficiently – but used in ways that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
Research Professor
Health Communications and Health Disparities
Co-Director, GMaP Region 4
Co-Lead, NCI's Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I)
Research Program
Cancer Prevention and Control)
Research and Initiatives:
Current Projects
• mychoice™: An online educational tool developed to support shared decision-making about clinical trials as a treatment option. Serving as PI, Dr. Fleisher is leading an ongoing implementation study to evaluate the tool’s accessibility and effectiveness in increasing trial awareness and participation among diverse patient populations.
• Tobacco Treatment Program (TTP): In alignment with the NCI’s C3I initiative, the lab co-leads efforts to expand Fox Chase’s TTP using implementation science to improve infrastructure, including a tobacco registry, and assess program impact. A companion study evaluates the role of Patient Navigators – identified via EMR feeds – in supporting cessation through personalized, longitudinal support.
• Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) ADACT Initiative: Aims to address disparities in clinical trial access, particularly in early phase trials, across the Temple University Health System. Dr. Fleisher co-leads this multifaceted project focused on strengthening infrastructure, enhancing patient support, and fostering community engagement to increase trial diversity and enrollment.
Emerging Projects
• Pan-PACT (Promoting Access to Clinical Trials in Pancreatic Cancer): Focused on improving clinical trial participation among underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, this initiative targets systemic gaps at Temple Health–Fox Chase Cancer Center. Building on early evidence, the project integrates patient-centered education and workflow redesign to address barriers faced by Black and Hispanic patients with pancreatic cancer.
• RECONNECT Initiative: A multi-pronged effort to increase equitable access to cancer clinical trials across the Temple University Health System and Fox Chase Cancer Center. Co-led by a team of investigators, the project introduces two targeted interventions: (1) a physician-focused communication training to improve discussions around clinical trials and structural barriers to care, and (2) a culturally informed Clinical Trials Educator and Coordinator (CTCE) program to support early identification, education, and navigation of historically underrepresented patients.
Previous Projects
• MyCareCompass: An EMR-integrated platform designed to deliver just-in-time educational content to patients, reducing anxiety and improving procedural preparedness. Dr. Fleisher served as PI during Fox Chase’s 2020 pilot of port insertion and psychosocial videos, which is now standard care; new modules, like the surgical ostomy module, are currently being piloted in collaboration with Nursing.
• CAPE Initiative: Provides multimedia education to patients newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, helping them better understand their treatment options and the role of genomic testing.
• GMaP Region 4 Program: A national initiative supporting the career development of underrepresented researchers, co-directed by Dr. Fleisher. Although the program is concluding, its resources will remain available to the broader research community.
Building on three decades of health disparities and health communications projects, Dr. Fleisher’s lab is working on multiple research and quality improvement initiatives focused on the integration of evidence-based tools into community and clinical practice.
Fleisher Lab has had a major role in the development and testing of mychoiceTM, an online educational tool designed to promote shared-decision making around clinical trials as a treatment option, of which the research portfolio spans nearly a decade. Through a previously conducted randomized control trial and user testing, mychoiceTM has been well received by patients and providers, and the lab continues to evaluate the implementation of the tool into diverse clinical settings.
In response to the NCI Moonshot Initiative for the expansion of the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) to develop tobacco cessation treatment capacity and infrastructure for cancer patients, Fox Chase has been awarded funding to expand its Tobacco Treatment Program (TTP). Dr. Fleisher serves as a Co-Lead on this initiative designing the optimization of the tobacco program through the establishment of a tobacco registry, application of Implementation Science frameworks and evaluating the impact of the program on behavior.
Previously, Fleisher lab lead two other projects, MyCareCompass and CAPE, both of which are patient education digital health tools. MyCareCompass is a platform developed by ARCHES that integrates into the EMR to deliver just-in-time patient education. Fleisher was PI on the multi-disciplinary pilot project, which aimed evaluate the implementation of the platform into real-world clinical workflows and its impact on patients’ experience. The results were highly positive: MyCareCompass showed to reduce patient anxiety and helped them prepare for upcoming procedures. CAPE is a digital education platform for patients newly diagnosed with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer that provides a multimedia approach to vetted patient education and has the ability to deliver the material in a flexible, user-friendly environment. The focus of the evaluation was to determine the feasibility of implementation in diverse clinical settings and its impact on patient knowledge about lung cancer and genomic testing, as well as preparation for shared treatment decision making.
Dr. Linda Fleisher is an Associate Research Professor and Co-Director of the NCI’s Region 4 Geographic Management Program (GMaP), where she leads research at the crossroads of implementation science, health disparities, health communication, digital health, and innovation. With more than 30 years of experience, her work centers on pragmatic, practice-based research that brings together community voices, evidence-based solutions, and real-world implementation.
At Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she began her career in 1984, Dr. Fleisher held several key leadership roles. These include serving as Senior Director and Principal Investigator of the NCI’s Cancer Information Service (1993–2010), Co-Director of the CIS Research Consortium’s Intervention & Development Core (2005–2010), Founding Director of the Community Outreach and Resource Education Center (2000–2013), and Co-Director of Region 4 GMaP (2010–2023). She also currently co-chairs the American Cancer Society’s National Navigation Roundtable, a role she’s held since 2022.
Between 2013 and 2019, Dr. Fleisher broadened her work in digital health at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Research Institute, while also serving as an Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. At CHOP, she was Co-Director of the mHealth Research Affinity Group and a Research Liaison to the Office of Digital Health. Even during this time, she remained closely connected to Fox Chase, continuing her research in clinical trials and cancer disparities.
Widely recognized for her leadership in health disparities and patient navigation, Dr. Fleisher has received multiple prestigious awards, published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, and led numerous grants from the NCI, NSF, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and private industry. She is also a dedicated mentor to students and serves on editorial boards for several academic journals. As of 2023, she continues to hold national leadership roles that support health equity, patient navigation, and public health, working collaboratively to improve access to quality care through research that makes a real impact.
Dr. Linda Fleisher is an Associate Research Professor leading health disparities and health communications research and Co-Director of the NCI’s Region 4 Geographic Management Program (GMaP). Her research focuses on the intersection of implementation science, health disparities, health communication interventions, digital health and innovation. During her initial tenure at Fox Chase (1984-2013), she was the Senior Director and ultimately Principal Investigator of the NCI’s Cancer Information Service (1993-2010), Co-Director of the CIS Research Consortium Intervention & Development Core (2005-2010), Founding Director of Fox Chase’s Community Outreach and Resource Education Center (2000-2013), Co-Director of the NCI’s Region 4 GMaP program (2010-2023), and Co-Chair of American Cancer Society’s National Navigation Roundtable (2022-present). An important distinction among these initiatives is the integration and connection between programmatic development, stakeholder engagement and practice-based research. She has utilized her training in public health to work in collaboration with racial and the ethnic minority communities, local, state and federal public health organizations, and other professional organizations to implement and evaluate evidence-based programs in real world settings. Dr. Fleisher’s training in health education and health communications has been instrumental in the development and testing of a variety of patient and provider interventions using both traditional and technology-based approaches. Dr. Fleisher also participated in the NCI Mentored training in Implementation Science, served as a Co-I on a number of implementation studies and is continuing her research involving integration of evidence-based research into practice.
Dr. Fleisher, rejoined the Fox Chase faculty in 2019, after a six-year position at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Research Institute and adjunct research professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. During this time Dr. Fleisher expanded her expertise in implementation of digital health in practice, development of digital health interventions, and academic entrepreneurship. She was co-director of the mHealth Research Affinity Group and research liaison to the Office of Digital Health. During this time, she continued as adjunct faculty at Fox Chase advancing her research with health disparities, clinical trials, and the GMaP cancer disparities research network.
She is a strong collaborator, working closely with colleagues and various interdisciplinary teams to address health disparities, while integrating both digital health and implementation science into research. She participates in national level organizations focused on patient navigation leveraging her experience with her patient navigation demonstration project and statewide navigator network.
Dr. Fleisher has won several prestigious awards, has published over 100 peer reviewed papers, held numerous grants (NCI, NSF, PA Department of Health, industry), mentored undergraduate and graduate students, and serves in many editorial capacities. She currently serves on a number of national leadership groups in patient navigation and health disparities, as well as locally in public health and public education. As of 2023, Dr. Fleisher is also a co-chair of the American Cancer Society’s National Navigation Roundtable, which serves to bring various stakeholders together, through patient navigation, to work toward achieving health equity and access to quality care.
Dr. Fleisher's current projects and research include:
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