Cancer Research Education Program

Abstract - CREP The Southeast Partnership for Improving Research and Training in Cancer Health Disparities (SPIRIT-CHD), a partnership between Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) and Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC), presents a unique opportunity for joint efforts to advance biospecimen-based research in cancer health disparities. There is an unmet need for cancer researchers who are culturally competent with unique expertise to conduct health disparities research. The Cancer Research Education Program is an integral component of the SPIRIT-CHD and is designed to meet this need. The CREP will be a joint, collaborative, innovative program with three primary aims: Research Experiences, Curriculum, and Outreach. 1. (Research Experiences): to provide undergraduate and medical students with hands on summer research experiences that address biobanking, precision medicine and cancer health disparities. We will build upon and expand an infrastructure between the LSUHSC and MCC for biobanking, precision medicine and cancer health disparities research training for undergraduate and medical students with emphasis on underrepresented minority (URM) students. Over the funding period, we expect to train a total of 44 trainees. 2. (Curriculum): to provide students with formal training in cancer research, focusing on biobanking, precision medicine and cancer health disparities. All students (LSUHSC and MCC) will share the same overall curriculum: a) a series of web-based modules, b) experiences in cancer health disparities research, biobanking, precision medicine and biomedical ethics, and c) didactic learning activities. 3. (Outreach): to expand existing community-based participatory research (CBPR) by engaging summer interns in outreach education activities to minority communities about biobanking, precision medicine and cancer health disparities. Specifically, this infrastructure will provide students with opportunity for immersion experiences and for skill development in communicating about biobanking, precision medicine, and cancer health disparities research to lay audiences. We have incorporated formative (process) and summative (impact/outcome) evaluation metrics into each of the activities associated with the three aims. These processes will help to monitor and gauge success as well as pinpoint areas for improvement and refinement. The CREP will help to create the next generation of clinical and research scientists who are prepared to address the challenges of cancer health disparities research in relation to precision medicine and participation in biobanking. We also expect this educational program to generate preliminary data that will lead to competitive grant applications for extramural peer-reviewed funding by NIH/NCI (e.g., R25e).