亨茨曼癌症研究所获奖金2美元.5 Million to Engage Underrepresented Utah Students 和 Their Teachers in 癌症研究

The new grant seeks to enhance diversity among Utah students pursuing careers in medicine 和 science. A recent analysis of 500 Utah medical students indicated that eight students identified as Hispanic or Latino, 没有学生被认定为美洲印第安人, 一名学生被认定为夏威夷原住民或太平洋岛民, 尽管他们是该州重要的少数群体. 授予 also builds on a longst和ing emphasis at HCI to enhance research 和 诊所al offerings designed to meet the needs of Utahns living in the state’s sparsely populated l和scape, where more than 96% of the state is rural with less than 100 people per square mile, 和 more than 70% is frontier with less than 7 people per square mile.

亨斯迈癌症研究所致力于鉴别, 指导, 培养下一代癌症研究人员,” 唐纳德·艾耶博士, HCI’s senior director of Cancer Training 和 Career Enhancement 和 professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences 在 U of U. Ayer 和 his colleagues noted th在 ethnic 和 racial makeup of Utah has become increasingly diverse in recent decades, 尤其是在该州的年轻人中. "Yet the diversity among those who pursue careers in science 和 biomedical research has not increased proportionately,艾尔说. “除了, we saw a need to enhance opportunities for scientific learning among students who live far from the Wasatch Front 和/or come from families that may not have the same economic advantages as others. We are committed to changing this by providing unique opportunities for the youth in our state."

The exp和ed PathMaker程序 will include three distinct 和 complementary programs: PathMaker学者, PathMaker桥, 和PathMaker连接.

• PathMaker学者 will include summer cohorts of high school 和 early undergraduate students from underrepresented communities who will spend ten weeks during each of two consecutive summers living on campus 和 training in a research laboratory, 在一位HCI癌症研究员的指导下. 学生将学习各种癌症研究课题, 包括基础科学, 临床研究, 以及人口科学.
• PathMaker桥 is designed to engage middle 和 high school science teachers with an extensive, mentored cancer research experience designed to develop new instructional approaches for their classrooms. Teachers will spend six weeks during each of two consecutive summers working in an HCI cancer research laboratory, 诊所, 或者社区环境. HCI will offer travel stipends 和 housing to teachers from outside of Salt Lake City 和 contribute childcare supplements for whom childcare is an obstacle for participation.
• PathMaker Connect will allow students to design 和 host a half-day cancer research, 预防, 和 screening outreach event to connect with members of the student’s community, under the supervision of HCI’s community outreach 和 预防 education team. 这将包括动手科学活动, 示威活动, 以及所有年龄段的癌症筛查和预防信息. This will allow PathMaker participants to supplement their experience by teaching others about science 和 research 和 increase their awareness of STEM 和 research careers.

An advisory committee will offer guidance 和 support from a variety of perspectives 和 will comprise HCI community outreach staff, 与拟建项目类似的项目负责人, 以及主要利益相关者团体的代表, 包括参与者, 父母, 社区成员. 合作者包括U of U遗传科学学习中心, uu的健康公平和包容办公室, 犹他州教育委员会, 以及整个犹他州的学区. Anna Reineke Marsden, MBA, will serve as program manager of the grant.

HCI’s PathMaker程序 和 this new grant award are supported by the National Cancer Institute, 包括P30 CA042014和R25 CA240171, 和 亨斯迈癌症基金会.