We propose to create a research and training collaborative program between the California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), a Minority Serving Institution, and the City of Hope (COH), an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The goals of the CSULA/COH Cancer Collaborative are: 1) to increase the participation and capacity of minority students and minority faculty in cancer research, especially as It relates to cancer disparities among minority populations;and 2) to increase our understanding, at the molecular, behavioral and psychosocial levels, of cancer disparities among minority populations. Structurally, the Cancer Collaborative will consist of five components: a) the Administrative Core;b) the Internal Advisory Committee (IAC);c) the Pilot Project Faculty;d) the Laboratory Mentors;and e) the CSULA students. f) The Administrative Core, which includes the Principal Investigators (PI's), will arrange collaborative activities, complete progress reports and, ultimately, is responsible for the overall fiscal and administrative operations of the Cancer Collaborative. The IAC will advise the PIs on programmatic decisions, review and select pilot project proposals for funding and monitor their progress, review and monitor minority faculty career. Initiating Development plans and approving selection of students into the training program and monitor their progress, The Pilot Project Faculty and the Laboratory Mentors will form collaborations between CSULA and GOH investigators, co-write research proposals, perform research, publish articles, and mentor CSULA students. Minority faculty investigators at CSULA and GOH will develop and complete individualized career development plans that will include co-development and participation in Pilot Projects and that will take advantage of the many cancer-related resources at COH. The Collaborative will also train CSULA students in cancer research and some of these students will be eligible for admission into COH's Graduate School of: Biological School through a CSULA-COH pipeline mechanism to be established. The Collaborative will also increase awareness of researchers and students of minority population cancer disparities through a Distinguished Speaker Series, and promote the transition of Pilot Projects to RO1-level funding. These activities will help to narrow the gap in health care disparities between the underrepresented minority populations and the majority population.
