Partnership for the Advancement of Cancer Research: NMSU ? Fred Hutch Multiple PIs: Graciela A. Unguez, Mary O'Connell (NMSU) and Julian Simon, Beti Thompson (Fred Hutch) [The content of the Overall Section is identical in the NMSU and Fred Hutch proposals.] PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The U54 Partnership between New Mexico State University (NMSU), an Institution Serving Underserved Health Disparities Populations and Underrepresented Students (ISUPS), and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) a major cancer center, is a mature mutually beneficial partnership; the two institutions worked together on a U56 (2002-2007) and two cycles of a U54 (2007 ? 2018). In our 15-year Partnership, we have accomplished many goals; for example, NMSU now has a strong cancer research infrastructure and Fred Hutch is increasing its attention to health disparities research. Our overall goals for this U54 cycle are to increase and maintain our excellence in the cancer research portfolio, cancer education, and outreach and dissemination; further, we will expand our efforts to develop leaders in cancer research and cancer health disparities research.
Five specific aims will help us achieve our overall goals to: (1) Continue to develop a diverse portfolio of robust cancer research projects that span clinical, basic, and population health sciences; (2) Collaborate with regional community organizations that work with underrepresented populations to reduce cancer health disparities; (3) Maintain, strengthen, and evaluate our effective research education programs for current and future underrepresented scientists; (4) Continue to implement evidence-based relevant cancer-related public health interventions within underrepresented communities; and (5) Expand the scientific collaboration among U54 Partnership members and other faculty within the two institutions. To achieve these aims, we have assembled a broad portfolio of innovative cancer research projects (two full research projects and two pilot research projects) that each address an unmet regional need among underrepresented populations. Recent emphasis on health disparities represents a shift in the focus of our Partnership from basic to public health science research projects. These projects benefit from strong community input. In addition to the four research projects, we propose five cores: Administrative, Planning and Evaluation, Research Education About Cancer and Health (REACH), Outreach and Sustain Competitive Cancer Early Stage Scientists (SuCCESS) Cores that promote the development of cancer research, education, community collaboration, in-reach, and outreach. The Partnership has and will continue to play a unique and critical role in both institutions' efforts to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented individuals in the biomedical research pipeline. Additionally, the Partnership has significantly increased cancer research capacity at NMSU, while also increasing participation in health disparities research at Fred Hutch?both institutions have benefited substantially from the Partnership.
This collaboration between New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) seeks to continue to enhance cancer research at NMSU, further increase participation in health disparities research at Fred Hutch, grow and support the number of highly trained underrepresented students and Early Stage Investigators to have the skills and knowledge to fill cancer research positions throughout the nation, and provide outreach on cancer awareness and education to underserved populations in the US southwest and Pacific northwest.
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