Duke PRIME Cancer Research Program

ABSTRACT The U.S. is facing a biomedical workforce crisis, starting with attrition from STEM majors in undergraduate training. The result is a lack of innovative solutions to advance health outcomes. Cancer remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of cancer diagnoses and survivors in the U.S. was more than 19 million in 2020, with 9.9 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. Duke University is uniquely positioned to address this critical problem by building a robust pipeline of future academic cancer researchers. The Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) is nationally recognized for its research programs in the areas of cancer biology; cancer prevention and control; cancer risk detection and interception; immune- oncology; neuro-oncology; precision cancer medicine and investigational therapeutics; and radiation oncology and imaging. Our recently established Office of Physician Scientist Development (OPSD) offers a sustainable structure for mentorship, professional development, and research funding. By leveraging these institutional structures, we are well positioned to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of a program that links resources across the training spectrum to introduce undergraduate students to varied cancer research career opportunities. To address the cancer research workforce gap, we propose the Duke Preparing Research scholars In bioMEdical sciences (PRIME): Cancer Research Program, which will recruit cohorts of undergraduate students and provide them with research skills-building and mentored research experiences in cancer research. We will provide evidence-based professional development activities and sustained engagement through virtual platforms and the opportunity for program alumni to return in peer-to-peer mentor roles. The Duke PRIME: Cancer Research Program will achieve our long-term goal, addressing barriers that limit the recruitment and retention of a cancer research workforce through early exposure to intensive research experiences, an innovative didactics curriculum, and peer networking. The program focuses on 1) providing a mentored summer research intensive experience for undergraduates; 2) providing a parallel OPSD PRIME Academy enrichment curriculum to enhance understanding of FDQFHU research concepts and career paths in research; and 3) developing a peer networking model with sustained engagement throughout the academic year. Successful implementation of the proposed program will lead to a scalable model for development of a robust pipeline for a diverse biomedical research workforce across disciplines.