# 2/2 Cherokee Nation/OSU and SCC Collaborative Partnership for Cancer Research

> **NIH NIH P20** · CHEROKEE NATION · 2021 · $240,733

## Abstract

Abstract
A serious shortage of scientists conducting AI cancer disparities research persists, which may have contributed
to cancer disparities affecting tribal nations. Cherokee Nation and the Stephenson Cancer Center have
partnered to build tribal cancer research capacity through a previous “Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health
Equity (PACHE)” P20 planning grant. However, it was recognized that further expansion and sustainability of
Cherokee Nation's cancer research workforce requires increased access to an academic ally with a large
number of AI students entering scientific fields. Oklahoma State University fulfills this need, as one of the
nation's leading universities for AI students and Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). The overall mission of the
proposed Cherokee Nation/Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC)
Collaborative for Cancer Research is to develop durable research capacity within the context of an American
Indian (AI) tribal nation to address cancer disparities. To achieve this goal, the four Specific Aims of the
Collaborative are:
1. to strengthen administrative infrastructure, including a joint Internal Advisory Committee that ensures
 integration of cancer research education and outreach and pilot research activities among Cherokee
 Nation, OSU, and the SCC;
2. to conduct innovative pilot research in tobacco use and cancer risk capable of seeding large-scale
 research projects performed by AI researchers within the Cherokee Nation setting;
3. to educate the next generation of cancer researchers to engage meaningfully with Cherokee Nation in
 the context of this research, focusing on ESIs, graduate, professional, and undergraduate students; and
4. to evaluate activities of the partnership, including monitoring progress of pilot research projects and the
 cancer research education program (C-REP). This evaluation will inform future, jointly executed efforts to
 reduce AI cancer disparities.
The Collaborative provides a crucial opportunity to solidify the foundation for tribal capacity in cancer
disparities research. The addition of OSU strengthens the Collaborative by its remarkable success in the
education of AI ESIs and students in scientific fields. Moreover, Cherokee Nation and OSU have broken
ground at Cherokee Nation on the first tribally affiliated medical school in the US. The Collaborative therefore
provides an unprecedented environment in which a tribe, a university, and a research-intensive cancer center
will work synergistically to reduce the unacceptable burden of cancer that continues to affect AI people.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10263232
- **Project number:** 5P20CA253255-02
- **Recipient organization:** CHEROKEE NATION
- **Principal Investigator:** SOHAIL Imran KHAN
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $240,733
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-14 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10263232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10263232, 2/2 Cherokee Nation/OSU and SCC Collaborative Partnership for Cancer Research (5P20CA253255-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10263232. Licensed CC0.

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