African Caribbean Cancer Consortium Scientific and Training Conference

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The African-Caribbean Cancer Consortium (AC3) is a designated NCI-Epidemiology and Genomics Research (EGRP) Consortium. AC3 plays a unique role by attending to African American as well as Caribbean and African immigrants in the United States (U.S.) and their native countries. Our consortium membership is trans- disciplinary (basic and population science researchers, clinicians, and cancer advocates) and consists of three interconnected networks (U.S., Caribbean and Africa) involving more than 40 institutions. Our 2019 conference theme “Cell to Society Approaches to Reduce Cancer Risk and Improve Outcomes among Populations of African Ancestry” is relevant to the transdisciplinary makeup of our membership. Large-scale comparative translational cancer research studies that encompass molecular to population-based research are critical to accelerating our efforts in understanding and addressing cancer disparities. Considering the diversity of the U.S Black population, cancer research in the Caribbean and Africa is also an essential component for addressing cancer disparities in the U.S. Prior NIH conference support has provided training and networking opportunities that have facilitated AC3’s growing role and responsibility in examining and addressing disparities involving multi-level factors affecting cancer risk, epidemiology and outcomes of populations of African ancestry. Preliminary results from our 2018 needs assessment reveal that there are still remaining gaps that must be addressed in order to sustain U.S.-Caribbean-Africa collaborations. These gaps include grantsmanship, readiness to participate and manage collaborative grant applications, efficient methods for data capture during participant recruitment and in-country molecular pathology skills for Caribbean and African investigators. The 2019 conference will focus on a) addressing these gaps and b) developing an AC3 action plan for specific large-scale comparative translational cancer research studies involving African Americans, immigrant and native African and Caribbean populations, leveraging on the resources that we have already built. This approach would be most beneficial in the U.S. as comparative studies are critical to inform and improve interventions, treatment and prevention of cancers among U.S. Blacks. The following are the Specific Aims: 1) To facilitate knowledge transfer related to cancer risk and outcomes in African-descent populations, and promote the development and coordination of research studies involving African-American, African-Caribbean and African populations. 2) Promote diversity pipeline for health disparities research by providing a forum for training and career development for under-represented minority investigators and students. 3) To promote health equity by providing scientifically rigorous, clinically and culturally informed research and education for greater public benefit in order to improve knowledge, of cancer risk, strategies for cancer risk reduction and prevention, and generate culturally tailored community responsive research recruitment of underserved/understudied populations.