# Ignite-Engage-Sustain: a comprehensive approach to  motivate, involve, educate, and mentor Native American students and their communities in cancer prevention, treatment, and research

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · $379,281

## Abstract

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, in cooperation with the Native American
Studies and Medical Humanities programs at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, will
leverage the trust and cooperative spirit that we have garnered working with tribal
schools and communities in Nebraska and South Dakota to develop, implement, and
evaluate cancer-related science curricula and research experiences aimed to support
Native American students. The long-term goals of this project are to promote
student interest in the sciences, foster a more science-literate public, and
ultimately to increase the number of Native Americans entering health and
science careers with a particular emphasis in cancer research. Improving science
instruction in the classrooms serving our Native American students and partners is key
to this project. This objective will be accomplished by creating and adapting hands-on,
age-appropriate lessons and by engagement with technology, Indigenous research
methods, and Native science. Teacher support through summer workshops, mentoring,
and in-service education will facilitate implementation of novel science strategies for use
in tribal schools and with Native students. Student engagement will be enhanced
through summer experiences from science camps for middle school to longer enriching
programs for high school students. Moreover, select high school and undergraduate
students will participate in long term research projects with the support of mentors.
Programs reaching beyond the classroom will be designed to give parents and elders
the sense of excitement and an understanding of what students feel when doing
science. Ancillary benefits will include promoting educational opportunities, cancer
awareness, the promise of clinical research and the the value of precision medicine for
Native Americans. Professional evaluations will be made at all stages, with major
emphasis being placed on evaluating the educational and community impact of
the project. Research techniques including baseline and post measures will be
conducted to assess the level of community readiness to address cancer within Native
communities and schools. Analyses of attitudes and subject content, participant
evaluation questionnaires, and student retrospective pretests will also be done.
Advancing the health of Native American communities by better cancer
prevention and treatment and increasing the numbers of Native American cancer
research professionals is the ultimate aim of every aspect of this project.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10004575
- **Project number:** 5R25CA221777-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MAURICE GODFREY
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $379,281
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10004575

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10004575, Ignite-Engage-Sustain: a comprehensive approach to  motivate, involve, educate, and mentor Native American students and their communities in cancer prevention, treatment, and research (5R25CA221777-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10004575. Licensed CC0.

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