The main goal of our research education program is to increase the number and quality of minority researchers dedicated to making an impact on cancer research. We have a previously established research education program that supports summer cancer research for medical students at Meharry Medical College (MMC) and Vanderbilt; summer research for undergraduates at Tennessee State University (TSU); and provides support for graduate students at MMC and TSU. These programs have proven successful at progressing students into careers in cancer research. In this application our focus is to engage students early in a research path in order to augment recruitment and retention into graduate programs and careers in cancer research. With that in mind, we propose to formalize a Pathway to Discovery Program to recruit high school juniors and seniors into cancer research and continue this experience through graduate/medical school, with particular focus on underrepresented minorities (URM). Our Partnership is particularly suited to target African American or Black, Hispanic or Latino students at the undergraduate (TSU) and graduate student level (MMC and TSU). High school students will be recruited from two academic STEM magnet schools in the Nashville metropolitan school district with predominant URM student population profiles. In order to achieve our goal, we propose the following aims.
In aim 1, we will implement a pathway program that provides early and continuous research education for high school and undergraduate students leveraging the cancer research opportunities at our Partnership Institutions. This will be accomplished with : 1) a high school cancer research experience (HSCRE) both in the summer and academic year with scholarship opportunities and multi-tier peer and faculty mentoring; 2) early undergraduate cancer research experience (EUCRE) in the summer and academic year providing the opportunity for engagement in projects supported through peer and faculty mentoring; and 3) a late undergraduate cancer research experience (LUCRE) in the summer and academic year to conduct mentored-independent research projects.
In aim 2, we propose to recruit and support master and doctoral graduate students to engage in cancer research in order to diversify the cancer research workforce and develop research interests in the area of cancer disparities. Finally, in aim 3, we provide research educational opportunities to medical students to contribute to clinical population sciences and translational cancer research with focus on cancer disparities.
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