# Minnesota Cancer Research And Teaching Excellence: M-CREATE

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $389,599

## Abstract

The innovative University of Minnesota Cancer Research And Teaching Excellence: M-CREATE program
leverages ten years of high school and undergraduate health equity cancer research-focused mentorship and
education activities, to implement a theoretically guided, evidence driven program designed to grow the
numbers of cancer-focused scientists from groups underrepresented in science, and promote their academic
developmental progress towards future careers in cancer research. M-CREATE will combine the experiences
of our unique team including Masonic Cancer Center and Program in Health Disparities Research leadership,
with best practices from education, mentorship, service learning, and parent education within a theoretical and
equity-oriented frame to engage, educate, and support students to achieve the knowledge, skills, science
identity, and self-efficacy required to support academic persistence and long-term success within the
biomedical and behavioral sciences. The long-term goal of this proposal is to address the pressing needs of
our increasingly diverse patient population in Minnesota and the United States (U.S.) by enhancing the
diversity of the cancer-focused research workforce. We will support the academic persistence of first, 240 early
high school students attending two urban school districts comprised of approximately seventy percent Native
American students and students of color, through a multicomponent, staged program combining hands on
research mentorship, academic and professional development, science-oriented identity development, parent
support, and community-engaged service learning. Four cohorts of 60 students will participate in an initial
engagement year comprised of supportive and exciting hands-on experiences. Ten students per cohort will
continue in an intensive experience including two nine-week summer mentored research experiences and a
community-engaged service learning experience. Next, 60 early-stage undergraduate students
underrepresented in science will participate in a nine-week summer program combining academic and
professional development and hands on research mentorship. Finally, we will deepen the science-focused
skills of high school teachers from collaborating districts serving students underrepresented in science through
a hands-on research lab experience paired with evidence-based support to develop curricula responsive to the
needs of diverse learners. Diversifying the cancer research workforce is critical to addressing the pressing
needs of increasingly diverse patient populations in Minnesota and across the U.S. M-CREATE aligns strongly
with NCI strategic priorities to strengthen the cancer research workforce and mitigate cancer disparities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10024135
- **Project number:** 1R25CA250987-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHELE L ALLEN
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $389,599
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-02 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10024135

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10024135, Minnesota Cancer Research And Teaching Excellence: M-CREATE (1R25CA250987-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10024135. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*