# OUHSC CREP

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · 2021 · $40,770

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
American Indian (AI) individuals face significant cancer-related health disparities, yet are severely
underrepresented in the scientific and cancer research workforce. A key component to eliminating health
disparities includes increasing the pool of well-trained scientific investigators from diverse backgrounds and
disciplines. AI students have significant challenges in navigating the educational pipeline. Disparities are seen
at all levels and are most prominent as AI students move from high school to post-secondary education.
Cherokee Nation is the largest federally-recognized tribe in the country, with an estimated 378,371 registered
members, of whom 138,087 reside within the reservation's 14 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Cherokee
Nation faces significant cancer disparities, and through a longstanding partnership with Stephenson Cancer
Center (SCC) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Cherokee Nation has made
increasing efforts to build capacity and expand cancer health disparities research conducted at the tribe. To
further the work of the partnership, we have established the Cherokee Nation Cancer Research Education
Program (C-REP) through a unique Collaborative among the SCC, Cherokee Nation, and newly engaged
academic partner, Oklahoma State University (OSU). As a Carnegie Very High Research Activity University,
OSU brings a significant pool of AI trainees and faculty mentors to the C-REP. The C-REP has three main
components: 1) Research experiences that include research experiences through pilot projects, formal
mentorship of Early Stage Investigators and a select number of students, and a Summer Immersion Program
for undergraduate, graduate, or professional students; 2) Curriculum development using a curriculum mapping
approach and a newly developed Cancer Research Methods Training Series with components offered at each
location; and 3) Outreach education including but not limited to a newly developed Reducing Cancer Burden in
American Indian Communities Lecture Series: RAISE conducted at the SCC, OSU and Cherokee Nation and a
formal Cherokee Nation Outreach and Engagement Series: Resilience Against Cancer (CN-RAC) conducted at
Cherokee Nation. Throughout the program, the C-REP will receive guidance from the Collaborative 's
Leadership Team and Internal Advisory Committee and will participate in evaluation and tracking activities to
monitor the progress and outcomes of the research experiences, curriculum development, and outreach
activities. With the C-REP, the Cherokee Nation/OSU and SCC Collaborative is well-positioned to expand the
pool of AI students, researchers and collaborators who meaningfully engage in tribal cancer health disparities
research. This project will lay the foundation for a large-scale inter-institutional training program and an
expanded trainee pipeline.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10264049
- **Project number:** 5P20CA253258-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie A Stoner
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $40,770
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10264049

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10264049, OUHSC CREP (5P20CA253258-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10264049. Licensed CC0.

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