The Research Education Core (REC) of the Partnership between Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU, formerly known as PSM) and the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) has built an educational pipeline designed to address several identified barriers which are known to contribute towards cancer health disparities within the Hispanic/Latino (H/L) population and, particularly within Puerto Rico (PR). These include a scarcity of H/L cancer researchers, cancer diagnoses at a more advanced-stage, reduced access to cancer care, underrepresentation in clinical cancer trials, and limited awareness of cancer research and cancer control within the local population. The overall objective of the REC of the PSM-MCC Partnership is to increase the number and quality of basic science investigators and clinical research scientists focused on precision and preventative cancer medicine research for the PR population. Our core tangibly improved and achieved the benchmarks established in our previous cycle of funding. Under the next cycle we propose to refine our ongoing activities taking into consideration those endeavors that worked well while modifying those that were less successful. We will provide rigorous and structured student education at both institutions, with a comprehensive network of faculty research hosts/advisors and peers for career guidance and development. To achieve our goals participants will be recruited at multiple career levels: PHSU graduate and medical students; MCC graduate and medical students; and PR residents and fellows. The specific measurable objectives of the REC are as follows: (1) Provide education in research methods with specific experiences to enhance cancer research focused on the Puerto Rican and H/L populations; (2) Enhance research education in health disparities at MCC and provide additional opportunities for PR post-doctoral fellows, and (3) Support the careers of medical fellows and residents to enhance the cancer clinical research capacity in PR and treatment of the PR population. Successful outcomes from these goals will expand the numbers and achievements of Puerto Rican cancer investigators, address Hispanic health disparities on the Island, contribute to a long-term cancer research education infrastructure at PHSU, and augment cancer research aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the Hispanic population in both PR and Florida. The REC will complement and leverage the existing programs at both MCC and PHSU to significantly enhance the overall Partnership objectives by providing a better trained workforce to conduct cancer related research with the momentum to create new research initiatives addressing the health disparities found in Hispanic populations.
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