# Creating Scientists to Address Cancer Disparities

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $99,037

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Increasing the number of scientists and clinicians from underrepresented communities has been
recognized as one means to help reduce the nation’s cancer disparities. The Creating Scientists
to Address Cancer Disparities Program (CSP) is an intensive bio-behavioral science training
program designed to facilitate underrepresented community college science majors’ (CSP
scholars) successful transfer to UCSD and SDSU followed by their matriculation into graduate
school. Transferring students begin the CSP during the summer before they transfer and
continue to receive mentoring from CSP faculty throughout the remainder of their college years.
The program has basic and behavioral science majors working and learning side-by-side in a
public health community-based laboratory as a model of how multidisciplinary teams of bio-
behavioral scientists can work together to address cancer disparities. CSP begins with an eight-
week public health laboratory-based Summer Science Enrichment Program (SSEP). The SSEP
includes seminars to give students a solid understanding of cancer and bio-behavioral issues
related to the development of cancer disparities. It also includes workshops to increase
participants’ likelihood of successful progression into graduate school and beyond. Students
also learn a variety of hands-on research methods to use in the field, as they work within
community-campus partnerships. Students prepare and submit a research abstract to present
their summer’s research findings at the International Cancer Education Conference. The
experience gained submitting abstracts and presenting at a scientific conference will document
the knowledge they have gained toward learning how to identify, research, and resolve cancer
disparities. This summer training is followed by continued academic mentoring to facilitate
students’ matriculation into graduate school. The CSP will make it possible for its transferring
students to access programs that are not normally accessible in transferring students’ first year.
This community college-focused CSP is grounded upon the literature and the team’s long term
experience with programs designed to facilitate community college students’ successful transfer
to UCSD and SDSU. The CSP has clearly defined, measurable outcomes for assessing its
success, using rigorous data collection and evaluation methods that were previously proven
successful.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10216109
- **Project number:** 3R25CA132699-11S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Vanessa L Malcarne
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $99,037
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-09-18 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10216109

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10216109, Creating Scientists to Address Cancer Disparities (3R25CA132699-11S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10216109. Licensed CC0.

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