The specific aim of this competing continuation application is to extend the present grant for five more years which will provide short-term cancer-related research experiences at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans for students in the health sciences, and will allow a more rigorous evaluation of this program. This will contribute to achieving the ultimate goal of the grant which is to increase the number of health professionals, especially those from under represented minorities, who will pursue careers in cancer etiology, prevention, or management. Activities are proposed which will enable the continuation of the successful components of the present grant and also introduce innovations: . Select twenty students, supported by NCI funds, who will be assigned to clinical and basic science faculty. These assistantships will take place over an eight-week period in the summer and are open to medical students and students enrolled as undergraduates in the health sciences, and two outstanding high school students. The addition of a flexible schedule for the students who would like to extend their research beyond the eight-week period is one of the innovations proposed in this application. . Increase recruiting efforts from under-represented minorities and more specifically, from local universities with a predominantly African-American student body. . Continue educational and enrichment components including seminars on cancer-related topics, Tumor Board conferences, visits to other LSUHSC facilities, and formal presentations by the students. . Monitor and evaluate the career paths chosen by the participants. Sufficient time will have elapsed between participation in the program and decisions regarding one's career and an ample number of participants will have chosen their primary career. A detailed evaluation will be conducted for those who have chosen oncology or academic medicine. . Define the best """"""""mentor' model. This will be extremely useful to similar programs. All components of the program will be rigorously evaluated to ensure excellence. The continuation of this program will provide research opportunities for students who have the potential to impact the cancer burden in a state with mortality rates higher than the national rates.
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