It is well known that minority groups suffer disproportionately from cancers with disparities existing in both the mortality and incidence rates. Other well-recognized problems are the paucity of minority scientists and physicians working in cancer research and the disproportionate number of minorities being entered into clinical trials. Meharry Medical College (MMC) has a distinguished history of training a large percentage of the African American physicians currently active in the United States. While MMC has long been active in cancer research, the promise of these activities has not yet reached fruition. Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) is a research intensive NCI-designated cancer center with very strong basic, translational, clinical, prevention and population-based research programs. MMC and VICC are located approximately two miles apart within Nashville. There has been a long history of faculty interactions between the two institutions, and the more recent establishment of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance has provided the infrastructure for the rapid development of a MSI/CC partnership with support from the CCSG supplement. The overall objectives of this U54 application are to strengthen and expand the existing partnership for cancer research between MMC and the VICC to achieve three ends: (1) to increase and stabilize the competitive cancer research capability of MMC; (2) to create stable, long term collaborative relationships between MMC and the VICC in cancer research, research training and career development; and, (3) to improve the effectiveness of MMC and the VICC in conducting activities focused on the disproportionate incidence, mortality and morbidity in minority populations in the mid-south. The programs we have designed to achieve these ends are guided by modest cores for administration at each institution and for planning and evaluation. Research activities for the project are contained in a development core that consists of components in basic science, cancer prevention, outcomes and outreach, and clinical investigations. We propose funding of six pilot projects and four shared resources. Two basic scientists, one medical oncologist one surgical oncologists and two epidemiologists, will be recruited to join the MMC faculty with joint appointments at Vanderbilt under the auspices of this grant. We propose career development of MMC faculty through formal training programs and training of a minority medical oncologist, minority research nurses and data managers, minority Ph.D. candidates, and MMC medical students in basic and clinical cancer research.
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