Pathways to Cancer Research

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ABSTRACT “Pathways to Cancer Research” at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) is designed to meet the goals of the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute of broadening participation of diverse populations in science and thereby increasing the diversity of the scientific workforce. We will develop three interrelated educational strategies that will increase the number of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students attracted to and retained in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pathways as preparation for research careers: 1) For teachers, provide a multi-year mentored research experience that provides professional growth, increases understanding of scientific careers, and results in curricula that will engage students. The curricula will be designed in collaboration with staff, advisors, and FHCRC scientists, and tested with Pathways students as well as in teachers' classrooms; 2) For early high school students, develop a two-week introductory outreach program that increases the pool of eligible young students interested in science in general and cancer research in particular; and 3) For early undergraduate students, create an individualized, mentored, multi-year internship program that increases the retention of underrepresented students in STEM pathways for the purpose of pursuing cancer research careers. This program gives students a strong scientific foundation, professional preparation, and builds their identity as scientists. Our approach leverages the extensive resources of FHCRC including a large faculty of committed scientists, state of the art facilities, safe training labs, and two existing FHCRC internship programs. The two existing programs (for seniors in high school and seniors in college) have been instrumental in pointing out gaps in our educational continuum and have informed our program design resulting in a holistic, comprehensive pathway for cancer research career development.