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Principal Investigator: ANA Patricia ORTIZ
Organization: COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER/ UNIV/PR
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $431,990
Funding agency: National Cancer Institute
Project Summary. Research performed in Puerto Rico (PR) provides an opportunity to advance knowledge of
cancer risk, and cancer prevention and control among Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations in the United
States (US). Since 2019, the Cancer Prevention and Control (CAPAC) Research Training Program at the
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer
Center has sought to increase the pool of master’s degree graduates and other health professionals who
pursue a doctoral degree and/or a career in cancer prevention and control research with a focus on Hispanic
health and cancer health disparities. CAPAC increases trainees’ understanding of the spectrum of cancer
prevention and control research, strengthens their research skills and experience, as well as their cultural
awareness and sensitivity to disparities and Hispanic populations. We recruit participants from all racial/ethnic
groups and cultural backgrounds to participate in a 10- or 15-week hands-on research experience with a
Hispanic population and cultural environment during the summer. Trainees are selected based on their merit
(academic performance, letters of recommendation, and research interests) and are matched to a mentor
based on their research interest in basic, clinical/translational, and population-based research. Educational
activities include seminars and workshops to strengthen the trainee’s skills (i.e. successful interview
techniques, manuscript writing, and leadership) to increase their interest in pursuing a doctoral degree and/or
careers in cancer prevention and control research. Given its need, and building on the program’s success
(2019-2023), for this new cycle the CAPAC Research Training Program aims to: 1) Recruit 25 masters-level
and health professional students (and recent graduates from these programs) annually to participate in
mentored hands-on cancer prevention and control research experiences in PR, with a focus on Hispanic health
and cancer disparities; 2) Provide trainees with the skills to pursue a doctoral degree and/or a career in cancer
prevention and control research; and 3) Conduct process and outcome evaluation of short-, intermediate-, and
long-term goals. For this second cycle of the CAPAC program, we propose an annual increase from 20 to 25
trainees participating (n=125 total) and to integrate new topics and activities based on lessons learned in the
first cycle. These are intended to strengthen participants’ interactions with one another and their cultural
competency and sensitivity in clinical and research settings. In addition, among the 25 trainees, we will recruit
annually 1-2 former CAPAC alumni for a second-time experience as peer-to-peer mentors with new program
participants. Our outcomes of interest include (1) recruitment of trainees from underrepresented groups, (2)
trainee and mentor satisfaction with the program, (3) trainees who become co-authors in scientific
presentations and/or manuscripts, (4) trainees who present their research work in scientific meetings, and (5)
trainees who continue doctoral studies and/or careers in cancer prevention and control research.
Terms: <AI system><Active Follow-up><Area><Artificial Intelligence><Awareness><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><Cancer Burden><Cancer Control><Cancer Control Research><Cancer Control Science><Cancers><Clinical><Collaborations><Comprehensive Cancer Center><Computer Reasoning><Cultural Backgrounds><Cultural Sensitivity><DCCPS><Development><Disparities><Disparity><Disparity population><Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences><Doctor's Degree><Doctorate Degree><Education><Educational Activities><Educational aspects><Educational workshop><Eligibility><Eligibility Determination><Enrollment><Ensure><Environment><Ethnic Group><Ethnic Origin><Ethnic People><Ethnic Population><Ethnic individual><Ethnicity><Ethnicity People><Ethnicity Population><Evaluation><Exposure to><Faculty><Family><Fostering><Funding><Gender><Geography><Goals><Graduate Degree><Health><Health Care Professional><Health Disparities Research><Health Professional><Health disparities related research><Healthcare professional><Hispanic><Hispanic Populations><Hispanic group><Hispanic individual><Hispanic people><Hispanics><Individuals from minority><Individuals of minority><Institution><Intention><Interview><Investigators><Journals><Knowledge><Leadership><Letters><Machine Intelligence><Magazine><Malignant Neoplasms><Malignant Tumor><Manuscripts><Master of Science><Master's Degree><Mentors><Minority><Minority Groups><Minority Health Research><Minority People><Minority Population><Minority individual><Minority research><Modality><Modeling><National Cancer Burden><Non-Hispanic><Nonhispanic><Not Hispanic or Latino><Outcome><Participant><Patient Recruitments><Peer Review><Performance><Politics><Population><Population Research><Population-based research><Population-level research><Process><Productivity><Protocol Screening><Publications><Publishing><Puerto Rican><Puerto Rico><Race><Races><Racial Group><Recommendation><Research><Research Personnel><Researchers><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Scientific Publication><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Societies><Students><Subgroup><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Techniques><Time><Training Programs><Underrepresented Groups><Underrepresented Populations><Underserved Population><United States><Universities><Work><Workshop><Writing><active followup><anti-cancer research><cancer disparity><cancer health disparity><cancer prevention><cancer research><cancer risk><cancer-related health disparity><career><career development><cohort><college><collegiate><conference><convention><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><cultural competence><culturally competent><developmental><disadvantaged group><disadvantaged individual><disadvantaged people><disadvantaged population><disadvantaged subgroup><disparities across groups><disparity across subgroups><disparity among groups><disparity among subgroups><disparity between groups><disparity between subgroups><disparity in cancer><disparity in health><doctoral degree><education research><enroll><ethnic minority><ethnic minority group><ethnic minority individual><ethnic minority people><ethnic minority population><ethnic subgroup><ethnicity group><experience><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><group disparity><group inequality><group inequity><hands on research><health disparities science><health disparity><health disparity community><health disparity group><health disparity populations><inequalities among populations><inequalities between populations><inequalities in populations><inequality across populations><inequality among groups><inequality between groups><inequality in groups><inequities among populations><inequities between populations><inequities in populations><inequity across groups><inequity across populations><inequity between groups><inequity in groups><interest><malignancy><meeting><meetings><member><neoplasm/cancer><next generation><participant recruitment><peer><peer coaching><peer instruction><peer led team learning><peer mentoring><peer teaching><population inequality><population inequity><professional students><programs><racial><racial background><racial diversity><racial minority group><racial minority individual><racial minority people><racial minority population><racial origin><racial population><racial subgroup><racially diverse><recruit><research in minorities><research on minorities><research related to minorities><research with minorities><satisfaction><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><skills><social culture><socio-cultural><sociocultural><subgroup disparity><success><summer program><summer session><summit><symposia><symposium><under representation of groups><under represented groups><under represented people><under represented populations><under served group><under served individual><under served people><under served population><underrepresentation of groups><underrepresented people><underserved group><underserved individual><underserved people><unequal group><unequal population>