Abstract B008: Evaluation of the NCI’s Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities (GMaP) program
Authors: Fleisher Linda , Norbeck Carrie , Kano Miria , Herrera Amy , Kay Emily , Oakley Erin , Sims Z'kera , Kenny Cassidy , Landau Zoe 
Published: January 2023

(A) Purpose: The Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Programs (GMaP) is a national program funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD). GMaP supports the academic and professional development of underrepresented minority (URM) scholars conducting cancer and cancer health disparities (CHDs) research and is comprised of seven regions with an academic institution or cancer center serving as the region-based “hub”. Collectively, each region enhances capacity of scholars through dispersal of pilot funding and research stimulus awards for preliminary research, technical assistance workshops and webinars, expert grant reviews, conference travel and registration support, mentor matching, and training navigation among others. Understanding the value and impact of these services for URM scholars is essential to future programmatic planning. (B) Description: The regional offices collaborated on the development and deployment of a GMaP Awardee Evaluation Survey to GMaP scholars that have received support (e.g., pilot funding, travel scholarships, expert grant reviews) over the past 10 years. The survey included demographic questions, research interests, extent of engagement, awards applied for and/or received, as well as general feedback of the value of the program. The goal of the survey was to evaluate how and through which mechanisms GMaP funding has facilitated professional development activities, in addition to understanding the value of this support to scholars. (C) Results: 190 awardees from across the country responded to the survey. The majority (61%) of respondents were new to GMaP having joined in the last three years. 71.3% were female, and represented diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (33% were white, 28% Black or African American, 16% Asian) and 31% were of Hispanic or Latino decent. Almost half (42%) were first generation college students. Over one-third (37.2%) stated that they were early stage investigators followed by postdoctoral (22.3%). 60% stated they had received conference and travel support, 19% research stimulus awards, and 25% a pilot project award. A number of respondents indicated they had received a CURE Diversity Supplement or KOI. Comments such as, “I was able to get my dissertation research completed. Funding from GMaP was instrumental to my success”, “I hired an undergrad research assistant from an URM community and we have published 2 papers together”, and “I was able to attend the AACR conference to present my work” highlight the scholars’ perspectives when asked about the impact/value of GMaP. Here, we will present both quantitative and qualitative data from this survey. (D) Conclusions: There is a national priority to increase diversity in the biomedical research workforce, and GMaP supports these efforts through enhancing the capacity of URM cancer and CHDs researchers. The funding opportunities provided by GMaP are highly valued by URM scholars and provide support to building a strong pipeline of diverse scholars.

Citation Format: Linda Fleisher, Carrie Norbeck, Miria Kano, Amy Herrera, Emily Kay, Erin Oakley, Z'kera Sims, Cassidy Kenny, Zoe Landau. Evaluation of the NCI’s Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities (GMaP) program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B008.