Cancer Health Disparities Training Program

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ABSTRACT This proposal is for the renewal of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill's Cancer Health Disparities Training Program (CHDP), operative since 2009. The current proposal requests 15 two-year postdoctoral positions. The aim for continuation of CHDP is to train a diverse cadre of scientists at the postdoctoral level to work to improve the science of cancer health disparities research that will lead to reduction and elimination of these disparities. To accomplish this aim, we have added new training elements that will take full advantage of the unique resources and opportunities of the T32 training mechanism at UNC to:  Appoint 15 Fellows who have an explicit commitment to conducting research on cancer disparities. Providing training at the postdoctoral level is essential for producing scientists with diverse career goals, disciplinary backgrounds, research experience, and professional preparation. A program of this size is necessary to initiate and sustain a specialized, interdisciplinary training infrastructure. Our successful efforts in enrolling minority Fellows will be enhanced with special strategies to recruit Latino and American Indian Fellows.  Develop and deliver a specialized two-year curriculum that fosters an interdisciplinary understanding of cancer disparities. The curriculum will continue to build on the institutional strengths of nationally recognized educational and training programs at UNC. The following new opportunities for Fellows will be added: six training faculty with NCI-funded expertise in global cancer research, mHealth interventions, and Health Informatics Technology; three recent interdisciplinary course offerings on health disparities; and three workshops on community engagement in anti-racism research and practice.  Provide Fellows with individualized career development experiences that enhance professional skills and build professional networks. The program will continue to assign each Fellow with mentors in more than one discipline, who guide them in research communication and grant writing skills, and creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP). Additional emphasis will be placed on transitioning from postdoctoral training to productive career paths through a new Professional Development Seminar Series organized by seven NIH-funded T32 programs at UNC.  Provide each Fellow with individualized mentored research experience with 1-2 active interdisciplinary research teams that focus on understanding or addressing complex issues underlying cancer health disparities. With the addition of Dr. Deborah Tate as CHDP Co-Director, she and Dr. Eugenia Eng will work with each Fellow's mentors in identifying productive research teams at UNC with whom Fellows will have access to datasets, learn research skills, and gain familiarity with the many scientific disciplines, methods, and community engagement approaches involved in research on cancer health disparities. Moreover, Drs. Tate and Eng will meet bi-monthly with the group of Fellows to advise on how to capitalize on their research experience to generate grant applications and publications.  Evaluate the success of the program in meeting its objectives. We will continue to employ explicit benchmarks and will follow well-defined procedures for capturing, analyzing, and reporting outcomes. The evaluation will serve the dual purposes of program accountability and continuous improvement. The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is one of the top two ranked schools of public health in the nation, and combined with UNC's Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, offers exceptional resources for Fellows. These resources include outstanding faculty, diverse ongoing studies, and a collaborative research environment conducive to training future leaders in cancer disparities research. The Program Co-Directors, Drs. Tate and Eng, are Professors of Health Behavior and full members with Lineberger's Cancer Prevention and Control Program. They will continue to be supported by CHDP's Leadership Team of Paul Godley, Vice Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Giselle Corbie-Smith, Professor of Social Medicine and Director, Center for Health Equity Research, and Til Stürmer, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology. They will be responsible for overall administrative and scientific direction. CHDP's Training Advisory Committee, composed of the Leadership Team and key faculty from multiple disciplines, will be responsible for decision-making regarding recruitment and selection of Fellows, monitoring their progress, and evaluation. CHDP's External Advisory Board provides expertise and advice to the Leadership Team on all aspects of the program. Since 2009, CHDP has enrolled 16 Fellows (10 African American, 1 Asian American, and 5 White). Minus the three still enrolled, 13 have secured research positions of which 10 are tenure track faculty. We are confident that CHDP will continue as a highly successful and vibrant training environment in which Fellows will be exceptionally well prepared for a productive career in cancer disparities research.