The American Association for Cancer Research requests renewal of support for the project entitled ?MSI Faculty in the Field of Cancer Research.? The funds provide scholar awards to support the attendance of full-time faculty from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) at highcaliber national scientific meetings. This project is an integral part of a multilevel program instituted by the AACR to address the problem of under-representation of minorities working in cancer research and biomedical science. The broad objective of the project is to increase the oncological knowledge base and participation of faculty from Minority-Serving Institutions in cancer research. MSIs encompass Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges &Universities (TCUs). Awardees receive funds for travel, hotel, subsistence, and registration fees in conjunction with their attendance at the AACR Annual Meeting or an AACR Special Conference. Their attendance at the Annual Meeting exposes them to the broad range of ongoing cancer research in basic, translational, and clinical areas, and at the Special Conferences, allows them to participate in those scientific sessions that are especially relevant to their research interests and professional growth. The project also aims to facilitate the MSI Faculty Scholars? professional relationships and networking possibilities with national and international cancer researchers, and to further their careers and enhance their recognition by professional peers through providing the opportunity to present and discuss their own research findings before national audiences.
Beyond the direct benefits to Awardees, the program has potentially wider implications for the health status of the minority population in general, resulting from the formation of a larger pool of experienced minority basic cancer researchers and clinicians. First, the enhancement of the MSI faculty member?s research program enriches the experience of the minority students he or she trains. Second, minority investigators are more likely to explore the issues relating to minority health disparities, as well as to have a better prospect of recruiting and collaborating with minority study subjects, and a significant increase in the number and visibility of minority cancer researchers might serve as an effective antidote to attitudes of distrust on the part of study participants and help lead to greater trust on the part of minorities in the medical and research establishment.
