Research Education Core

(This Core is identical for all three Partnering Institutions) The Partnership between Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)/Tuskegee University (TU)/University of Alabama at Birmingham O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center (MSM/TU/UAB OCCC) presents a distinctive opportunity to build on our successful accomplishments in the education of future cancer research scientists moving through our pipeline. In this U54 renewal application, we propose a seamless integration of our cancer education programs by focusing on “hard” (structured courses/training developed through previous U54 funding) and “soft” skills (e.g., career development roadmap, interviewing skills) needed to facilitate movement through our pipeline into the cancer research continuum, with the goal of having an effective/skilled workforce in cancer research. This will be accomplished through the following specific aims: Aim 1. To develop and implement integrated cancer research education programs to link high school, undergraduate, and graduate/medical students with postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, and Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs), and senior-level researchers/mentors with a particular focus on cancer research. Four integrated programs will be utilized: (a) the Granting Research Opportunities in Wellness by Creating Exciting Learning Laboratories in Science (GROW CELLS) for high school students; (b) the Cancer Research Immersion Student Program (CRISP) for undergraduate students; (c) the Summer Cancer Research Education Program (SCREP) for graduate and medical students; and (d) the Cancer Research Education Program (CARE) for medical residents, postdoctoral fellows, and ESIs. Aim 2. To link all levels of cancer research scholars with the Outreach Core to share their research findings with community members, obtain community feedback on relevant topics for future research (e.g., Cancer Info Cafés), and develop publications and communications for lay audiences (e.g., blogs or posts on social media, YouTube videos, policy briefs). Aim 3. To implement a mixed-method, triangulated evaluation of the proposed research education activities across the pipeline. These efforts will increase the recruitment and retention of scholars/students in science, specifically in cancer research, which are congruent with the goals of NIH.