Georgia Science Education Initiative NCI YES (GA-YES)

Project Summary/Abstract While the racial and ethnic diversity of the US has increased over time, the diversity of those involved in cancer and biomedical research has not reflected the overall US population; only about 11% of researchers overall are from racial/ethnic minority groups. These under-represented groups include women; Blacks/African Americans;

Hispanics or Latinos; those with disabilities; residents of rural or medically underserved area; students from lower socio-economic status (SES) or are first in their families to attend college. Rural students, in particular, represent only 3 out of every 10 students pursuing STEM careers and their families tend to come from lower SES and less

education. Rural students begin high school with the same interest in STEM as students from higher SES suburban schools but often decrease interest by junior year. The importance of community is not consistently included in pipeline programs; yet, many of the communities where under-represented students reside will

experience significant cancer disparities. Thus, the goal of pursuing cancer research to reduce disparities in their community may be highly relevant. In this Georgia Science Education Initiative NCI YES (GA-YES) program, the theme of cancer disparities will be integrated into all student research projects, the curriculum development

process, and community outreach and engagement components. Based upon these concepts, our hypothesis is that by focusing on cancer disparities that impact the students’ own communities, this approach will enhance student motivation to continue to pursue future STEM/biomedical studies in higher education and ultimately, in

a future career in cancer research. By exploring the underlying mechanisms, epidemiology, risks, and potential interventions that might affect these disparities, this approach would serve to engage students more deeply and demonstrate the applicability of the science and research to the student’s own community setting. To investigate

this hypothesis, our Specific Aims are: Aim 1: To recruit high school students under-represented in STEM careers from six high schools located in a rural, persistent poverty county in Georgia to participate in a summer mentored cancer research training program focused on cancer disparities at the Winship Cancer Institute of

Emory University. Aim 2: To develop and test an accompanying curriculum focused on cancer science, research skills, health equity and career development that engages students all year-long. Aim 3: To facilitate student outreach and engagement with communities to receive feedback related to research projects and educate

community stakeholders about cancer research, including clinical trials. Aim 4: To evaluate short- and long-term program outcomes, student characteristics, and track student participants for 15-years post-enrollment to assess primary outcomes (pursuing a career in cancer research or biomedical sciences).The impact of this proposal

will be in contributing long-term program evaluation with measurable outcomes for best practices in building a diverse future workforce for cancer and biomedical research careers, by integrating cancer disparities into research training, with a novel focus on under-represented rural and lower SES students.