The University of Guam (UOG) is the only four-year institution of higher learning in the Western Pacific serving the U.S. territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as all of Micronesia. The University offers BS and BA degrees in well over 30 disciplines as well as Master degrees in eight different areas. The student population consists of approximately 50% Pacific Islanders, 32% Filipino, 9% Caucasians, 8% Asians, and 1% other minorities. The University operates several interdisciplinary research programs including marine biology, water and environmental research, Micronesian language and area studies, and Micronesian health and aging studies. The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii (CRCH) is an NCI-designated cancer center at the University of Hawaii. The CRCH is currently the only NCI-designated Cancer Center at a minority-serving institution. There are four research programs established at the CRCH, along with a large clinical trials unit and the Hawaii Tumor Registry. Research efforts at the CRCH take particular advantage of the research opportunities provided in Hawaii which includes the multiethnic population in the State of Hawaii and their vastly different risks of developing cancer at different organ sites. Accordingly, research addressing health disparities in different ethnic groups and minorities along with a particular awareness of cultural sensitivity are major characteristics of the CRCH. CRCH and UOG have a track record of approximately 15 years of successful research cooperation in the area of natural products drug discovery. The two institutions plan to develop their successful research cooperation into a long-term partnership of mutual benefit in the area of cancer research, cancer training and career development, and cancer outreach. This application for a U56 comprehensive planning grant for a Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership has the following objectives: a) to increase the cancer research capabilities in a variety of different disciplines at the UOG, b) to increase the number of minority scientists of Pacific Islander ancestry engaged in cancer research or other cancer related activities by providing pertinent undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate training opportunities, c) to provide career development for cancer investigators at the UOG in order to develop and sustain independently funded cancer research programs at the UOG, d) to further strengthen the focus of research, training, and outreach activities at the CRCH on the disproportionate incidence, mortality, and morbidity in minority populations, e) to expand the geographic region of the U.S. served by CRCH to the Territory of Guam, and f) to ultimately reduce the impact of cancer on the population in the Territory of Guam (and possibly other U.S. island territories in the Pacific) by enhancing the awareness of cancer prevention opportunities and improving the quality of care for cancer patients.
