Abstract A49: Enhancing career development opportunities for scholars and early-stage investigators: Plans based on responses from the participants
Authors: Thompson Beti , Tham Heidi 
Published: May 2016

Background: The Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) Region 6 is oriented to provide assistance to under-represented minority scholars and early stage investigators (ESIs) throughout Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa. Much of the assistance needed has been defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Internal Coordinating Committee of GMaP Region 6. In an effort to gain a better understanding of how we can support our constituents, the Internal Coordinating Committee of GMaP Region 6 reached out to scholars and ESIs to learn about their previous experience with the services offered and what additional services they desired from the region.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the needs and types of assistance desired by scholars and ESIs within GMaP Region 6.

Methods: A SurveyMonkey survey was developed that included both quantitative and qualitative responses to questions about the services offered by GMaP Region 6. Additional questions asked participants if they had taken advantage of the services provided. In addition, qualitative questions were asked about additional assistance/services desired. The survey was sent to a listserv comprised of 156 NCI-identified scholars and ESIs in Region 6.

Results: Responses were received from 42 scholars and ESIs. Of respondents, 67.6% were female, 89.2% were of a race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White, 61.9% had PhDs, and 43.9% had received funding (e.g., diversity supplement, F31, T32, R25) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Participants desired more diverse training opportunities, more prospects for receiving feedback on grants, biosketches, and other portions of NIH grants, more networking opportunities, and more training in specific topics related to health disparities research (e.g., CBPR, epidemiology, survey methods). The Internal Coordinating Committee of GMaP Region 6 met to design a plan to accommodate the requests of the scholars and ESIs, which include a mentorship program, training workshops, and a networking program for pre-graduate scholars. Those plans will be implemented in the next three years in the region.

Discussion: As advocates of engaging stakeholders as a method for fostering research among the underserved, the GMaP Region 6 Internal Coordinating Committee went directly to scholars and ESIs to better understand how they desired to receive assistance from the region. Although there were some similarities with the NCI mission, there were also difference, and GMaP Region 6 is dedicated to offering services to meet those additional expressed needs of scholars and ESIs in the Region.

Citation Format: Beti Thompson, Heidi Tham. Enhancing career development opportunities for scholars and early-stage investigators: Plans based on responses from the participants. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A49.