An ET-CURE Pilot Project Supporting Undergraduate Training in Cancer Research, Emerging Technology, and Health Disparities

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities has created pilot training opportunities under the “Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences” (CURE) program that focus on emerging technologies (ET). In this pilot project, an eighteen month cancer biology research internship was reinforced with: instruction in an emerging technology (proteomics), a transition from the undergraduate laboratory to a research setting, education in cancer health disparities, and community outreach activities. A major goal was to provide underrepresented undergraduates with hands-on research experiences that are rarely encountered at the undergraduate level, including mentoring, research presentations, and participation in local and national meetings. These opportunities provided education and career development for the undergraduates, and they have given each student the opportunity to transition from learning to sharing their knowledge and from being mentored to mentoring others. Here, we present the concepts, curriculum, infrastructure, and challenges for this training program along with evaluations by both the students and their mentors.

Encouraging or Obstructing? Assessing Factors That Impact Faculty Engagement in Undergraduate Research Mentoring

“…Faculty time is often divided into these separate areas, but there are advantages to facilitating overlap among them. Research has shown that engaging students in undergraduate research projects positively benefits a faculty member's own research and teaching goals (Elgren and Hensel, 2006;Potter et al, 2009;Wilson et al, 2012;Adedokun et al, 2013). Although mentoring undergraduate researchers benefits both faculty and students, it also presents substantial challenges (Bullough and Draper, 2004;Dolan and Johnson, 2010;Marquis et al, 2017).…”

Design and Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research Curriculum

“…Many medical schools and healthcare institutions are implementing curricula in cultural competence and community engagement. 6,7 However, there are only a few programs offering research training for addressing disparities, and those that exist tend to focus on a single clinical area, such as cardiovascular disease 8 , cancer 9,10 , or methodology (e.g., community-based participatory research) 11,12 . Although we suspect that not all efforts are published, it appears that there is limited framework and data supporting the feasibility and impact of a general disparities research curriculum.…”

Developing Interdisciplinary Research Partners: The Learning by Innovative Neuro Collaborations Research URE

“…Overall, a mix of both educational and research aspects were prominent in the most successful research programs. [3][4][5][6] Programs that focused on having an open-minded culture with interdisciplinary research facilities seemed to spark sustaining and meaningful collaborations. 7,8 Programs that sustained a feeling of social cohesion among undergraduate researchers (e.g.…”