In a previous SEPA grant, we established a highly successful partnership between the UCSD School of Medicine and Helix High School, a San Diego urban school. We now propose to educate Helix students and their families about the value of clinical research as an approach to address the low enrollment of minorities in clinical research studies and clinical trials; previous studies have shown that a lack of knowledge and appreciation of clinical research is a major barrier for minority groups to participate in clinical studies. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program assists educationally disadvantaged high school students achieve a college education. Since its inception in San Diego over 20 years ago, it has been highly successful, and has been disseminated to schools throughout the country. It uses an interactive format to teach skills, concentrating on reading, writing, speaking, and inquiry; the content of the curriculum is left largely to the discretion of the teacher. We hypothesize that the AVID program is an ideal opportunity to educate students about clinical research, and simultaneously increase their interest in health-related careers. Phase I of the project will have four major components. First, we will integrate clinical research topics into the AVID curriculum. Seven school of medicine faculty, each with different expertise and each actively involved in clinical research, will provide content resumes on various clinical research topics. The resumes will be converted to AVID class lesson plans by two experienced Helix teachers. The lessons will be taught to about 40 eleventh grade students each year. Second, the AVID students will spend a day in the UCSD General Clinical Research Center and the Clinical Trials Center, and will actively participate in several ongoing research protocols. Third, about 10 students will engage in a clinical research internship each summer; And fourth, the summer intern students will educate their families and friends about clinical research through evening seminars. A control group at a well-matched sister high school will receive the normal AVID curriculum. Program effectiveness will be evaluated by pre- and post-intervention tests and questionnaires that evaluate knowledge about clinical research and attitudes towards clinical research. During Phase II, the program will be disseminated initially to high schools in the Southern California AVID Region IX area, which includes Imperial, Orange, and San Diego Counties, and later to AVID schools nationwide; Dissemination will occur via an on-line mechanism, monthly workshops, and an annual summer conference.
