2/2: Feasibility study to build a collaboration in genetics and genomic cancer research

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Project Summary This is a partnership between Hampton University (HU) and the Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine that seeks to establish robust collaborations on-site and online training and education to increase HU faculty’s research capacity in the area of genetics and genomics and health disparities, while increasing TCI research in health disparities, using the examples of prostate and breast cancer. The final goal is to create a competitive and sustainable joint Center for Genetics and Genomics Cancer Research, encompassing the genetics and genomics aspects of health disparities to explain population differences in breast and prostate cancer occurrence and outcome. The proposal is grounded in a longstanding and productive undergraduate educational collaboration between faculty at these two institutions, but is distinct in its focus, methods, and goals. Hence, the proposed program will utilize the best practices learned from previous collaborative endeavors to inform and create an innovative platform which will enhance research capacity at both institutions while addressing key institutional challenges. Our goals will be accomplished through a series of well-coordinated training/educational activities and two pilot research projects that were strategically chosen to meet our overarching goals of 1) improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations, 2) addressing gaps in cancer disparities research, 3) augmenting genomic, statistics, epidemiology expertise and 4) enhancing investigator productivity and extramural funding competitiveness. Training and education will aim to increase HU faculty’s research capacity in the area of genetics and genomics and health disparities, using the examples of prostate and breast cancer. It will provide TCI ISMMS with access and collaboration to scientific projects in breast and prostate cancer disparity etiology, treatment and outcome, as well as to a mechanism to increase the diversity of the genetics and genomics faculty, which has traditionally lacked diversity. To ensure the success of the training and education program, we have assembled an excellent team of faculty with outstanding mentoring and teaching track records, along with extensive expertise in developing and implementing new initiatives aimed at diversifying the clinical investigator workforce and eliminating health disparities. HU faculty will also be exposed to the most novel and cutting edge methods in cancer genomics through the completion of the pilot research project.