The Cancer Education program of the MSM/TU/UAB Cancer Partnership seeks to introduce minoritystudents at the undergraduate level to cancer research, including research on cancer disparities, via training,mentoring, and coursework. Its goal is to increase the number of minority scientists directing funded cancerresearch by facilitating the entry of more TU undergraduates into career paths that lead to cancer researchThe two major thrusts of the Cancer Education program are: 1) Cancer Partnership Internships which willprovide extensive training and mentoring to a small group of selected undergraduates, and 2) A new HealthDisparities course that will be open to advanced undergraduates and graduate students as well as otherfuture health professionals and researchers. The twelve TU juniors (three/year) selected as CancerPartnership Interns on the basis of potential for research success will participate in two years of specialactivities that include a seven-week cancer research internship at a Partnership institution (DAB or MSM),presentation of research results, attendance at a national cancer research meeting, Cancer Journal Club, ahands-on health disparities project, preparation for the GRE/MCAT, and structured mentoring for thetransition to graduate study. The proposed Health Disparities course, with emphasis on cancer andbioethics, has been developed recently and will be offered at TU with review, recommendations, and guestlecturing by UAB and MSM investigators. The course will be required of Cancer Partnership Interns, but willbe open to other students as well. The purpose of the course is to motivate and equip students to pursuecareers that address cancer and other health disparities by expanding participants' knowledge of disparitiesdata, issues, and research strategies.
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