Abstract 2023: Advancing diversity of the current cancer research workforce: Employing a new pathway to improve recruitment of minorities from underserved populations
Authors: Kaljo Kristina , Treat Robert , Rader Janet S. 
Published: September 2020

Introduction: To address the paucity of workforce diversity in cancer research and the slow recruitment of underrepresented minority (URM) populations in clinical trials, we developed an education program - Student-centered Pipeline to Advance Research in Cancer Careers (SPARCC), to prepare URMs as clinical research professionals (CRPs). Procedures: To target cultural/racial incongruence between patient and physician/researcher requires increased diversity in the clinical cancer workforce. SPARCC is a five-year NCI R25 program to recruit URM undergraduate students to become CRPs and/or seek advanced degrees in cancer research. CRP jobs are readily available with several avenues for professional growth. These positions also provide excellent interim employment and financial resources for those exploring advanced science careers. Over eight weeks, the first cohort of SPARCC Scholars participated in 84 workshop learning experiences, ten different practicum rotations and a culminating research project. Mixed methods evaluated the components of SPARCC. Collected data informed programmatic modifications for subsequent cohorts. Summary: Within 16 weeks of announcement, 39 completed applications were received, 62% (24/39) identified as URM and 77% (30/39) were females. Most were pursuing biomedical science majors (30/39) with interest to seek careers in healthcare (34/39). The first cohort of ten scholars began in June 2019. Scholars globally evaluated each workshop on average of 9.1(10=excellent), Of the 433 workshop evaluations scholars completed, 92% (400/433) of sessions were rated ‘outstanding' or ‘very good' in “advancing understanding of the topic area, a chief request included more interactive elements, especially if sessions were solely lecture-based. Upon completion of the practicum rotations, scholars were evaluated by preceptors on average of 9.2(10 = excellent). Participants identified the benefit of learning from various professionals and specialties they did not know existed. Other programmatic modifications include: increased time between workshop sessions to allow for deeper comprehension of content, inclusion of a financial literacy session, and increased protected time to conduct and formalize research projects. All scholars identified a strong sense of belonging at the large academic medical institution, which is frequently cited as a barrier for URM. Upon SPARCC's conclusion, all scholars reported interest in seeking careers in research and/or medicine. Of the 10 graduates, 2 are applying to medical school, 2 obtained employment as CRPs immediately after SPARCC and both are planning to pursue advanced research degrees, 5 are currently completing their final year of under-grad, and 1 is currently working in a research laboratory.

Conclusion: Participation in SPARCC provided access to a professional network for 2 URM participants to quickly attain permanent employment in clinical trials research and be prepared for advanced education applications.

Citation Format: Kristina Kaljo, Robert Treat, Janet S. Rader. Advancing diversity of the current cancer research workforce: Employing a new pathway to improve recruitment of minorities from underserved populations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2023.