(1/2) Ponce Health Sciences University-Moffitt Cancer Center Partnership #

The communities in the Ponce and Tampa Bay regions experience both shared and unique challenges associated with health drivers that contribute to cancer outcomes, including genetics, poverty, and access to healthcare. Since 2006, an engaged team of investigators from the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC, an NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center) in Florida and the Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) in Puerto Rico (PR) have forged a strong relationship and leveraged their respective strengths and resources to address these needs with the ultimate goal of eliminating health drivers that contribute to differences in cancer outcomes across all populations. The MCC-PHSU Partnership is founded on seamless communication and mutual support. The Partnership is a catalyst that facilitates recruitment of new faculty at PHSU in basic and translational cancer research, increase in health disparities research focus at MCC, establishment and growth of the Partnership’s Biobank (PRBB), exchange of research and medical trainees between institutions, and development of community outreach and educational materials for the communities in Ponce and Tampa. We have supported the recruitment and successful advancement of Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) at both PHSU and MCC. The Partnership has proved to be highly resilient, overcoming and providing vital support to our communities during several major hurricanes in Florida and PR, and devastating earthquakes in PR. During the current cycle (2017-2022), 24 new investigators were recruited to expand research projects focused on health drivers that contribute to differences in cancer outcomes. Partnership activities have led to 176 peer-reviewed cancer-related publications and 64 competitive grants funded, realizing $20,963,879 total direct costs. The Partnership recruited and trained clinical researchers with 18 cancer clinical trials opened at PHSU. Furthermore, 22 ESIs and 60 medical/Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers were recruited and trained. A new Quantitative Sciences Core (QSC) that supports research projects was developed, while the PRBB has collected 7,740 specimens, released 3,019 to investigator projects, and developed novel tissue microarrays. Through the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN), the PRBB and QSC made available the first set of genomic data from cancer patients from our catchment areas. Ties with the communities were significantly improved partly through enhanced and adapted interventions to provide critical support to cancer patients and caregivers during natural disasters. The Partnership had a significant clinical impact by supporting ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education)-accredited residency programs. These efforts have resulted in a strong inter-institutional relationship, a network of investigators addressing health drivers of cancer outcomes, and a resilient partnership infrastructure. The achievements and lessons learned during this period provide a strong basis to guide the evolution and further expansion of this Partnership, whose primary goals are to improve cancer outcomes in our communities and the American population at large.