Cancer Research Education Program

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PROJECT ABSTRACT American Indian (AI) individuals face significant cancer-related health disparities, yet are severely underrepresented in the scientific and cancer research workforce. A key component to eliminating health disparities includes increasing the pool of well-trained scientific investigators from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. AI students have significant challenges in navigating the educational pipeline. Disparities are seen at all levels and are most prominent as AI students move from high school to post-secondary education. Cherokee Nation is the largest federally-recognized tribe in the country, with an estimated 378,371 registered members, of whom 138,087 reside within the reservation's 14 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Cherokee Nation faces significant cancer disparities, and through a longstanding partnership with Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Cherokee Nation has made increasing efforts to build capacity and expand cancer health disparities research conducted at the tribe. To further the work of the partnership, we have established the Cherokee Nation Cancer Research Education Program (C-REP) through a unique Collaborative among the SCC, Cherokee Nation, and newly engaged academic partner, Oklahoma State University (OSU). As a Carnegie Very High Research Activity University, OSU brings a significant pool of AI trainees and faculty mentors to the C-REP. The C-REP has three main components: 1) Research experiences that include research experiences through pilot projects, formal mentorship of Early Stage Investigators and a select number of students, and a Summer Immersion Program for undergraduate, graduate, or professional students; 2) Curriculum development using a curriculum mapping approach and a newly developed Cancer Research Methods Training Series with components offered at each location; and 3) Outreach education including but not limited to a newly developed Reducing Cancer Burden in American Indian Communities Lecture Series: RAISE conducted at the SCC, OSU and Cherokee Nation and a formal Cherokee Nation Outreach and Engagement Series: Resilience Against Cancer (CN-RAC) conducted at Cherokee Nation. Throughout the program, the C-REP will receive guidance from the Collaborative 's Leadership Team and Internal Advisory Committee and will participate in evaluation and tracking activities to monitor the progress and outcomes of the research experiences, curriculum development, and outreach activities. With the C-REP, the Cherokee Nation/OSU and SCC Collaborative is well-positioned to expand the pool of AI students, researchers and collaborators who meaningfully engage in tribal cancer health disparities research. This project will lay the foundation for a large-scale inter-institutional training program and an expanded trainee pipeline.