Research Education Core

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RESEARCH EDUCATION CORE PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The University Of Puerto Rico (UPR) has established a strong Education Program in Cancer, leveraged by the U54 Partnership for Excellence in Cancer Research. This Research Education Core (REC) is built upon that base and the long-term collaboration between the UPR, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) and the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). The primary goal of the REC is to increase the number of Hispanic students, at all educational levels, committed to careers in cancer research and cancer medicine, with a new emphasis on infection-driven malignancies. Puerto Ricans carry a disproportionate burden of infection-driven malignancies, such as stomach and liver cancer, and HPV- related malignancies, including cervical and penile cancer. In addition, PR has a disproportionate burden of HIV- infected individuals, who also have an increased risk of infection-driven malignancies. The proposed educational program will build on the existing cancer curriculum of didactic and research experiences at both institutions, by developing and implementing a didactic and research curriculum focused on infection-driven malignancies. An important new component of this curriculum will be the implementation of a dual-degree MD/MPH track, through a joint agreement between the UPR School of Medicine (UPRSOM) and the University of Texas School of Public Health (UTSPH). Initially the program will accept one student with the goal of accepting at least 2 students per year. The MD/MPH program is modeled after the highly successful Partnership MD/PhD program: currently 7 students have completed both degrees and are pursuing residences and fellowships, all related to cancer; 8 current students are at various stages of the MD/PhD program. This program will continue in the renewal with 3 students accepted per year rather than 2. The MD/PhD students and alumni have published 38 cancer-related papers and 2 were awarded 3 scholarships during their training. Each year 10 undergraduates, 5 pre-doctoral students (MS, PhDs, MDs, DrPHs, PharmDs), and 1 post-doctoral learner will have the opportunity to work on cancer research projects under the guidance of world-renowned faculty at MD Anderson. Students from any of the 11 UPR Campuses may participate. To ensure course quality and avoid redundancies in the proposed expanded curriculum, we will appoint a formal Partnership Cancer Curriculum Committee to oversee the establishment of an integrated, cohesive cancer curriculum. Committee members will include co-leaders of the established cores, the Chair of the IAC, and the leader of the new Scientific Communication (SciCom) unit. In conclusion, this Research Education Core builds on the successes of the past and proposes new and innovative educational efforts that address critical health disparities in Puerto Rico and beyond. It benefits both partnership institutions as shown by the successful implementation of integrated curricula, development of and participation in summer programs, participation in on-campus sponsored research experiences, and scientific collaboration among faculty and trainees, as evidenced by co-authored publications and minority supplement grants.