It is well known that a disproportionate burden of cancer is borne by defined ethnic and socioeconomic communities, and there is broad agreement that cancer disparities researchers should represent those communities. While all disciplines should reflect the diversity of the country, it would be appropriate if more intensive efforts were made in fields where researchers interact directly with underserved populations. Instead, sustained national pipeline initiatives only exist in the basic and clinical sciences. Thee is nothing comparable in the social, behavioral, and public health sciences. This academic disparity is the impetus for the NCI R25 grant, Increasing Diversity in Cancer Control Research (1998-2001, 2001-06, 2006-11) which established the Minority Training Program in Cancer control Research (MTPCCR) at UCSF and UCLA to encourage under- represented minority master's level students and professionals in social and health sciences to pursue doctoral training and careers in cancer disparities research. The rate of doctoral enrollments has risen from 3.8% initially to 30% (139 among 462 participants since 1999); 88% of these individuals now pursue research related to cancer. Qualitative and quantitative data demonstrate the strong influence of the MTPCCR on these outcomes. Our short course model succeeds because we target under-represented minorities who are capable of doctoral studies but have not yet chosen that path, and we emphasize emotional as well as cognitive training. With this renewal, we recognize that the growing ranks of our alumni, who reside in 29 states and will number ~700 in five years, can markedly impact cancer disparities. Our goals are to reach 40% doctoral enrollment within five years, fostering the development of diverse cadres of practice-based researchers among those who pursue the doctorate, and of research-oriented practitioners among alumni who continue as practitioners.
Our specific aims are to: 1. Achieve a doctoral enrollment rate of 40% within five years, adding 157 to the current total of 139 MTPCCR alumni enrolled in or graduated with the PhD; Continue to recruit 45-50 ethnically diverse master's level participants/year; offer the five-day short course, paid summer internships for up to 6/site, and need-based doctoral application support awards; 2. Achieve measurable increases in awareness, understanding, commitment, and action among alumni practitioners regarding community-based participatory research (CBPR) and evidence-based public health (EBPH) and demonstrate ongoing commitment to practice-based research (PBR) at the doctoral level; Adapt the summer institute curriculum to emphasize CBPR ,EBPH and PBR; develop and implement ongoing alumni engagement to maintain focus on these issues and access to related opportunities; Develop indicators of impact regarding PBR and EBPH to be measured via the MTPCCR alumni survey. .

Public Health Relevance

This program will continue a highly successful training model that has thus far encouraged 139 under-represented health science master's students/professionals on to doctoral training with 88% pursuing research related to cancer. New goals strive for an even higher doctoral matriculation rate and building cadres both of practice-oriented researchers and evidence- based practitioners who will apply these translational principles to reduce cancer disparities.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Education Projects (R25)
Project #
4R25CA078583-18
Application #
9134045
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZCA1-RTRB-E (O1))
Program Officer
Korczak, Jeannette F
Project Start
1998-09-28
Project End
2018-08-31
Budget Start
2016-09-01
Budget End
2017-08-31
Support Year
18
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
$271,557
Indirect Cost
$13,843
Name
University of California San Francisco
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
094878337
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94118
Maxwell, Annette E; Castillo, Laura; Arce, Anthony A et al. (2018) Eating Veggies Is Fun! An Implementation Pilot Study in Partnership With a YMCA in South Los Angeles. Prev Chronic Dis 15:E132
McLemore, Monica R; Warner Hand, Zakeya (2017) Making the case for innovative reentry employment programs: previously incarcerated women as birth doulas - a case study. Int J Prison Health 13:219-227
Truong, Linh; Tat, John; Booy, Molly et al. (2016) The Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program: Creating New Education Modules. J Cancer Educ 31:292-300
Paige, Ciara; Peters, Ruth; Parkhurst, Malia et al. (2015) Enhancing Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships Through Appreciative Inquiry. Prog Community Health Partnersh 9:457-63
Maxwell, Annette E; Crespi, Catherine M; Alano, Ryan E et al. (2012) Health risk behaviors among five Asian American subgroups in California: identifying intervention priorities. J Immigr Minor Health 14:890-4
Pasick, Rena J; Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie; Stewart, Susan L et al. (2012) The Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research: impact and outcome over 12 years. J Cancer Educ 27:443-9
Warner, Erica T; Gomez, Scarlett Lin (2010) Impact of neighborhood racial composition and metropolitan residential segregation on disparities in breast cancer stage at diagnosis and survival between black and white women in California. J Community Health 35:398-408
Nguyen, Duy H; Shimasaki, Suzuho; Stafford, Helen Shi et al. (2010) Health journalism internships: a social marketing strategy to address health disparities. J Cancer Educ 25:371-6
Schultzel, Matthew; Saltzstein, Sidney L; Downs, Tracy M et al. (2008) Late age (85 years or older) peak incidence of bladder cancer. J Urol 179:1302-5;discussion 1305-6
Stafford, Helen Shi; Saltzstein, Sidney L; Shimasaki, Suzuho et al. (2008) Racial/ethnic and gender disparities in renal cell carcinoma incidence and survival. J Urol 179:1704-8

Showing the most recent 10 out of 13 publications