Abstract 5286: Meharry Medical College medical student summer program in integrative science and cancer research

The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,688,780 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2017 and that 600,920 people will die from their disease. The burden of cancer is disproportionately borne by the poor and underserved. Underrepresented minority physician scientists and clinician researchers are uniquely qualified to address these disparities as they have frequently experienced them in their own families and communities. As some portion of health disparities is rooted in socioeconomic status and lesser education, economically deprived and first generation college students of all races and ethnicities also experience these disparities. Unfortunately, the number of physicians who do research has been declining so the need for programs that educate students in the art and science of research is increasing. The Meharry Medical College Summer Program in Integrative Science and Cancer Research (MMC-SPiISCR) has provided Meharry medical students with the opportunity to participate in short-term cancer research experiences for eleven years. The program is unique in combining weekly half-day workshops at MMC, an historically black college or university, with a research experience supported by faculty mentors at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM),an institution that includes the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, one of only 69 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in the United States and District of Columbia. The workshops include topics emphasizing bioethics and responsible conduct of research as well as presentations by Meharry faculty on their cancer research, cancer disparities, cancer and big data and more. The overarching goal of this program is to inspire Meharry medical students to aspire to medical careers in academic medicine and/or careers that will ultimately include cancer research. To date, 73 MMC students have started and completed the program and 94% are from underrepresented minority groups. The male to female ratio reflects the male to female ratio of the class. Over half of the participants presented their work at meetings outside of the program including AACR National Meeting, AACR Science of Cancer Disparities, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, Student National Medical Association, American Medical Association Research Symposium, American Society for Clinical Oncology, KBRIN Bioinformatics Summit and the Meharry-Vanderbilt-TSU Cancer Partnership Annual Retreat. The students are authors on 27 manuscripts and these numbers are still growing as is the interest of program participants in doing a year of research. Surveys of both mentors and program participant mentees overwhelmingly support the strength of this program and participation in the future. This comprehensive program will go far towards fueling the physician-scientist pipeline with researchers whose life experiences mirror those of minority and underserved patients. Citation Format: Dana R. Marshall, Carol Freund-Taylor, Philip Lammers, Leon Dent, Samuel Adunyah, Billy Ballard. Meharry Medical College medical student summer program in integrative science and cancer research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5286.