Career Enhancement Program

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SUMMARY The University of Hawai`i Cancer Center (UHCC) SPORE Career Enhancement Program (CEP) will identify and mentor investigators who show promise for independent research careers in translational research in minority health and correcting ethnic/racial disparities in cancer. We understand that creating a sustained, high-impact minority health program is dependent upon attracting the most promising investigators from a diverse talented pool inclusive of underrepresented groups including racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities, to help these faculty members excel through quality mentorship and research support. UH Cancer Center members have access to unique opportunities in Hawai`i and the Pacific to do innovative research in minority health and disparities research in cancer due to the multiple racial and ethnic populations living here and their varying cancer incidence and outcomes. Further, Hawai`i's high-quality health care and cancer registration systems offers access to needed resources for these studies. UHCC has an extensive record of successfully working with Hawaii's multiethnic population around minority health issues and to identify and understand disparities in various cancers. We also have a long track record of mentoring our promising junior faculty to independent research careers with particular success among researchers from AANHPI background. The UHCC has also been successful engaging established researchers in developing new projects in minority health and disparities research by providing forums to disseminate and discuss ideas that are important to cancer prevention and treatment in our catchment. The goal of the CEP is to provide funding and mentoring to junior faculty to develop independent research programs and to provide support to established investigators to greatly enhance or refocus their careers on minority health research. In service of this goal, we propose the following Specific Aims: 1) Coordinate identification of promising new research in disparities research from junior faculty and established investigators looking to refocus their research in this area; 2) Provide training, career development and mentoring to awardees in minority health research; 3) Monitor the progress of CEP awardees as they develop independent careers and/or new research programs in minority health, and assess effectiveness of the CEP approach. Through these activities, we will foster development of new diverse faculty who conducts highly collaborative translational research in minority health focusing on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders aimed at understanding differences in cancer risk and outcomes and correcting ethnic/racial disparities in Hawai`i, the Pacific Islands, and more broadly on the US and global stages.