Document text
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Gillette
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $410,264
Funding agency: National Cancer Institute
ABSTRACT / SUMMARY
Responding to community concerns related to higher cancer incidences and worse outcomes among New
Mexico’s ethnically and racially diverse communities, the University of New Mexico (UNM) Continuing Umbrella
of Research Experiences (CURE) for Cancer program was inaugurated in 2015. Since then the program has
trained 45 high school (85% AI, any race) and 47 undergraduate students (51% AI, 32% Hispanic, any race)
who have continued/completed their education through pursuit of college, and advanced degree programs, and
are entering the scientific and health professions workforce. Cancer and inflammation associated chronic
diseases (type 2 diabetes and obesity) represent disproportionate causes of morbidity and mortality among New
Mexico’s populations; including people with limited economic resources, and rural residents. In response to the
NCI R25 Youth Enjoy Science program call for developing a diverse biomedical workforce, the CURE for Cancer
program builds on well-established experiential cancer-focused summer research internships and curricula that
advance knowledge of current and emerging cancer innovations and career paths. Relevant role models and
peer-networks that value cultural identity while building science identity is shown to promote persistence. The
CURE for Cancer program has established networks to allow statewide and national recruitment and training of
American Indian, Hispanic and other underrepresented students. Thus, the CURE for Cancer program is
uniquely poised to increase the representation of American Indians and Hispanics in the sciences and address
a pressing national challenge to reduce the higher prevalence of cancer among these populations. The CURE
for Cancer Program Specific Aims synergize with the overarching goals of the University of New Mexico
Comprehensive Cancer Center and will: 1) Increase participation and persistence of students underrepresented
in cancer research from the high school to the undergraduate levels through targeted recruitment, inter-
programmatic connectivity, tracking and formal evaluation, 2) Encourage cancer career pursuit through
specialized curricula, clinical exposure, and immersive research programs for high school and undergraduate
students and 3) Engage New Mexico's rural and underserved Hispanic and tribal communities in science and
health education through a Cancer-STEM Pathways Conference for middle school students and engaged youth
ambassadors. Annual evaluation, student tracking and regular review by an Advisory Committee, will assess
student benefit and program impact. The successful completion of these aims is expected to increase the
likelihood that underrepresented populations will proceed to and graduate from college, attend
graduate/professional school or work in cancer related professions. Moreover, what makes UNM CURE unique
is its coupling of culturally relevant pedagogy with cutting edge cancer research training that is integrated with
Hispanic and Native American community needs.
Terms: <Academic Perseverance><Academic persistence><Address><Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus><Advisory Committees><Alaska Indian><Alaska Native><Alaska Native group><Alaska Native individual><Alaska Native people><Alaska Native population><Alaskan American><Alaskan Indian><Alaskan Native><Alaskan Native American><American Indian><American Indian Population><American Indian group><American Indian individual><American Indian people><American Indians><Awareness><Cancers><Career Choice><Career Path><Censuses><Chronic Disease><Chronic Illness><Classification><Clinical><Communities><Comprehensive Cancer Center><Coupled><Coupling><Creativeness><Curriculum><Degree program><Economics><Education><Educational Curriculum><Educational aspects><Educational workshop><Enrollment><Ensure><Evaluation><Future><Goals><Health><Health Instruction><Health Occupations><Health Professions><Health Tutoring><Health education><High Prevalence><Hispanic><Hispanic Americans><Hispanic Populations><Hispanic group><Hispanic individual><Hispanic people><Hispanics><Impoverished><Incidence><Inflammation><Interdisciplinary Research><Interdisciplinary Study><Internships><Junior High School Student><Junior High Student><Ketosis-Resistant Diabetes Mellitus><Knowledge><Lead><Learning><Malignant Neoplasms><Malignant Tumor><Maturity-Onset Diabetes Mellitus><Mentors><Middle School Student><Minority-Serving Institution><Morbidity><Morbidity - disease rate><Multidisciplinary Collaboration><Multidisciplinary Research><NIDDM><Native American community><New Mexico><Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes><Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus><Noninsulin Dependent Diabetes><Noninsulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus><Obesity><Outcome><Pathway interactions><Pb element><Personal Satisfaction><Persons><Population><Poverty><Productivity><Professional Competence><Race><Races><Research><Research Activity><Research Resources><Research Training><Resources><Rural><Schools><Science><Self Efficacy><Slow-Onset Diabetes Mellitus><Stable Diabetes Mellitus><Student Persistence><Students><Systematics><T2 DM><T2D><T2DM><Talents><Task Forces><Training><Training Programs><Translating><Tribes><Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus><Type 2 diabetes><Type II Diabetes Mellitus><Type II diabetes><Underrepresented Ethnic Minority><Underrepresented Groups><Underrepresented Minority><Underrepresented Populations><Underrepresented Students><Universities><Work><Workshop><Youth><Youth 10-21><adiposity><adult onset diabetes><advisory team><anti-cancer research><cancer research><career><career aspiration><career development><career interest><career pathway><career skill><career track><chronic disorder><cohort><college><collegiate><community engagement><conference><convention><corpulence><creativity><cultural values><design><designing><disparity in health><economic><engagement with communities><enroll><ethnic diversity><ethnic minority group><ethnic minority individual><ethnic minority people><ethnic minority population><ethnically diverse><experience><health disparity><health science profession><heavy metal Pb><heavy metal lead><high school><high school program><higher education><hispanic community><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><interest><intern><junior high><junior high school><ketosis resistant diabetes><lesson plans><malignancy><maturity onset diabetes><middle school><minority institution><mortality><neoplasm/cancer><outreach><pathway><pedagogy><peer><peer coaching><peer instruction><peer learning><peer led team learning><peer mentoring><peer networks><peer teaching><programs><racial><racial background><racial diversity><racial origin><racially diverse><recruit><response><role model><rural dwellers><rural resident><science education><skills><socio-economic><socio-economically><socioeconomically><socioeconomics><student engagement><student motivation><student participation><success><summer research><summit><symposia><symposium><synergism><tribal community><type 2 DM><type II DM><type two diabetes><under representation of groups><under represented groups><under represented people><under represented populations><under served community><under-representation of minorities><under-represented minority><undergrad><undergraduate><undergraduate student><underrepresentation of groups><underrepresentation of minorities><underrepresented people><underserved community><well-being><wellbeing>