Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. Despite a drop of nearly 3% in the cancer death rate in the United States between 1881 and 1995 (NCI Cancer Facts: www.nci.nih.gov), more than 1.2 million cancers are expected to be diagnosed in 2000, and nearly 552,000 Americans are expected to die of this disease in 2000 (http://www3.cancer.org/cancerinfo/acs_frame.asp?frame=statmenu.html ). African Americans are more likely to develop cancer than whites. Between 1990 and 1994, cancer incidence rates increased 1.2% per year in African Americans whereas they decreased 0.8% per year in whites. Overall cancer mortality rates for both whites and African Americans have declined in recent years, but although the rate of decrease for African Americans has been approximately twice that for whites, African Americans are still at least 50% more likely to die of cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus , stomach, cervix, prostate, uterus, uterus, liver, and pancreas than whites (American Cancer Society Facts and Figures: http://www3.cancer.org/cancerinfo/acs_frame.asp?frame=statmenu.html) . Despite modest gains in the diagnosis and treatment of several cancers, the identification and control of all relevant risk factors as well as a cure, remain elusive goals. While African Americans are over-represented in cancer incidence and mortality, they are seriously under-represented in cancer research. Innovative methods are needed to recruit African Americans into cancer research. Despite the presence of a diverse Howard University Cancer Center faculty with expertise in several cancer-related disciplines, there is not a single course in the entire curriculum of Howard University that is dedicated to cancer. The need for such a course is manifest. Graduate students and faculty in the biomedical sciences, post-doctoral fellows, genetic counselors, and other health professionals do not have access (at Howard) to an integrated oncology course that explores the disparate but related fields of cancer investigation: epidemiology, cellular and molecular biology, nutrition, therapy, behavior, and environmental toxicology. The current partnership grant between Howard University and Johns Hopkins University provides a unique and unprecedented opportunity to combine the resources of both institutions to establish an interdisciplinary, team-taught course in integrative oncology to accomplish the following objectives: 1. Provide graduate level training in cancer biology for academic credit. 2. Make the expertise of research personnel available to graduate students. 3. Help create an academic environment that would enhance the HUCC's prospects in applying for training grants. 4. Increase awareness of opportunities in cancer research. 5. Increase the number of African Americans in cancer research. 6. Increase accessibility to research findings on cancer prevention and cure 7. Increase the general understanding of the incidence and causes of cancer as well as the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. A Graduate Oncology Course Committee has already been set up to develop the syllabus and selective appropriate instructors for each unit of the course.
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