Huntsman Cancer Institute PathMaker Programs for Cancer Research

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The overarching goal of this R25 application is to enhance the diversity of the pool of individuals from underrepresented groups interested in pursuing careers in biomedical and cancer-related research by providing research experiences for high school and undergraduate students, research and curriculum development experiences for middle and high school science teachers, and outreach to middle school students, their families, and their communities. The Huntsman Cancer Institute PathMaker Programs for Cancer Research will bring exceptional cancer research training pipeline programs to Utah and the Mountain West to support the National Cancer Institute’s R25 program goal of increasing diversity of the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce. The proposed program, building on successful P30 CURE and FRTEP Supplements, will comprise three interrelated and complementary components: PathMaker Scholars, PathMaker Bridge, and PathMaker Connect. PathMaker Scholars is a mentored cancer research experience for high school and undergraduate students; PathMaker Bridge provides mentored cancer research experiences and guided curriculum development for middle and high school science teachers, providing a bridge to their students; with PathMaker Connect we will connect HCI and the two previously-mentioned groups to a specific community through an innovative outreach event. While applicants from all groups underrepresented in biomedical research will be encouraged and welcomed, recruiting efforts will focus on students who belong to one of three minority groups significant to Utah and Salt Lake City: Hispanic/Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Hispanic/Latinos comprise Utah’s largest minority population, with 14% of the overall population and nearly 18% of the population under 18 years of age. Also, Utah is home to eight American Indian tribes or nations, and a surprisingly large Pacific Islander population including one-fourth of all Tongan Americans. These groups are massively underrepresented in biomedical research, and they face significant cancer-related health disparities. This project will be led by a team comprising a physician scientist and a basic scientist, who have relevant experience in programs to increase diversity in biomedical research careers, career mentoring, and biomedical research career training. Student research experiences will be enhanced by a rich professional preparation and community-building program. Additionally, PathMaker Bridge will partner with the internationally-recognized University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center (GSLC) to provide an exceptional professional development program to guide teacher participants in using their research experiences to create novel curricular materials, with the potential for world-wide dissemination on the GSLC website. A professional evaluator will provide formative and summative evaluation to ensure the program achieves its maximum potential.