Abstract IA15: The bridge less traveled: Diversity training in public health and social/behavioral research
Authors: Pasick Rena J. , Kagawa-Singer Marjorie , Kidd Sherry , Mercado Vanessa , Llave Karen 
Published: August 2020

Cancer disparities are differences in incidence, survival, and survivorship due to societal inequities, all of which disproportionately affect people of color and those of low socioeconomic status. For over 3 decades, research across a broad spectrum of disciplines has sought to measure, explain, and reduce cancer disparities—with little impact. One reason is that most of the research is conceived and conducted not by members of the affected communities, but by “outsiders” who have the privileges of education and opportunities at the highest levels of science and policy. Because most NIH-funded research is conducted by Euro-Americans, and populations of color are greatly under-represented among students who seek and attain advanced degrees and who succeed in the world of competitive science, the NIH established large and long-standing programs to diversify the research pipeline—in the STEM fields. No such support exists, however, for the translational population sciences of public health and social-behavioral research. These are the disciplines with the theories and methods needed to engage and to, among many other functions, communicate effectively with patients and the public about health, medical care, and participation in research. In 1998, an investigator-initiated NCI training grant established the Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (MTPCCR), with the goal of increasing diversity among students at the doctoral level in public health and social-behavioral research and subsequently among those conducting cancer disparities research. Through 4 successive grants over 20 years, the program was conducted in two sites (UCSF and UCLA), and a replication was established at U Texas (Exito!). The program model includes a five-day Summer Institute (SI) and paid research internships for those SI participants for whom a match could be made with a role model (under-represented) preceptor or researcher working on cancer disparities. The SI is a place where participants' ancestors and cultures are brought forward and honored, establishing a strong emotional bond among participants and with the staff/faculty. This is further strengthened by a series of highly interactive sessions. The first three SI days address the need for under-represented researchers and the range of opportunities and disciplines through which one can have a lasting impact on disparities. The last two days provide tools for applying to doctoral programs. The MTPCCR also provides Doctoral Application Support Awards designed to offset costs of the doctoral application process. A total of 759 master's-level students and professionals have participated in the MTPCCR. To date, 237 (33%) have entered doctoral programs (74 African American/Black, 6 American Indian, 82 Asian American, 45 Latino/Hispanic, 2 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 9 Other, 18 mixed race/ethnicity, 1 White), 138 of whom have now graduated. A large majority report that the program strongly influenced their academic path.

Citation Format: Rena J. Pasick, Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, Sherry Kidd, Vanessa Mercado, Karen Llave. The bridge less traveled: Diversity training in public health and social/behavioral research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr IA15.