Student Transformative Experiences to Progress Undergraduate/Graduate Professionals (STEP-UP) for cancer prevention

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PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT This application, entitled “Student Transformative Experiences to Progress Undergraduate and Graduate Professionals” (STEP-UP) for cancer prevention, is a multidisciplinary research training initiative led by the Health Promotion Sciences faculty and the University of Arizona (UA) Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) Program. It is uniquely designed to provide 75 upper division undergraduate and 25 Masters' degree seeking students with an intensive, summer research experience in CPC over the grant period. The research training includes immersion in mentor research laboratories and programs full-time for 10 weeks to experience CPC science across the entire continuum of basic to applied and even dissemination research. Faculty mentor matching is carefully tailored to trainee interests, gaps in prior training, and career goals, from 39 faculty members from diverse disciplines committed to this program who are funded in CPC research. Trainees will also engage in weekly complimentary educational activities, including learning about community engagement and career exploration and development. Educational pedagogy will inform on our methodology in order to assure students receive a quality educational experience that not only will increase understanding, but also will motivate students toward a continued educational commitment to advance in CPC sciences. An embedded mentor development program will enhance faculty mentor training and engage Masters' students and high-performing STEP-UP trainees, from past years, to serve as peer-to-peer mentors. The STEP-UP program fills early gaps in our research training pathway programs, builds on purpose-driven efforts at the UA Cancer Center to attract and retain a diverse student body in CPC research, leverages our international reputation in CPC, supports continuous renewal of CPC mentors in academics and care through the mentor training program, and has garnered significant institutional support. Our specific aims are: 1. Recruit and retain undergraduate and Master's level graduate students into the STEP-UP research training program; 2. Provide a multidisciplinary research training experience in CPC that strengthens self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation to become a CPC scientist; 3. Support mentor training across academic stages, from mentee to peer-to-peer up through senior faculty mentors, and cultivate professional relationships with scientists, research programs, and community partners; 4. Conduct formative and summative evaluations to improve the program over time. The training program is centralized in Southern Arizona and offers hands-on research training within our unique catchment area which is rich in diversity relative to ethnicity (31.7% Hispanic), race (5.3% Native Americans) and age (18.0% ≥65 years). This distinctive location, strong community ties, university facilities and resources for research, as well as committed and experienced faculty mentors and leaders, assures a quality program that will build and sustain the CPC workforce of the future.