Pathways to Cancer Research Renewal

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R25 · $431,684 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pathways to Cancer Research Renewal (“Pathways Renewal”) is a renewal of the Pathways to Cancer Research grant R25 CA221770 awarded to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (“Fred Hutch”) in Seattle, Washington. It is designed to meet the goals of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) to broaden participation of underrepresented populations in science and thereby increase the diversity of the scientific workforce. This renewal places a strong emphasis on developing two major focus areas across our Pathways programs - computational biology and cancer health inequities. These areas of importance were identified by our students and are also priorities of NCI/NIH. We will build on the prior investments NCI has made in our science education efforts through the YES R25 mechanism, introducing new and innovative components and strengthening our existing Pathways programs for educators and underrepresented high school and undergraduate students. We will develop and offer two new virtual high school activities that were piloted in 2021 in response to the pandemic: an outreach program that focuses on using computational tools to analyze cancer datasets, and a school-year academic research internship. Our aims for this proposal are to: 1) Provide “Hutch Teacher Fellowship” mentored multi-year research experiences for secondary science teachers, preparing them to develop curriculum materials focused on computational biology and cancer health inequities; 2) Expand our “Explorers” and “Coding for Cancer” introductory outreach programs aimed at increasing the pool of eligible youth interested in cancer research in general, and computational biology and cancer health inequities in particular; and 3) Thread opportunities for computational analysis and community action related to cancer health inequities throughout our “Explorers Virtual School-Year Internship” and “Pathways Undergraduate Researchers” mentored, multi-year research internship experiences. Across our programs, we place a strong emphasis on the development of scientific identity, fostering a sense of belonging in science, and preparing students to communicate science to their families and communities. Our integrated and holistic approach builds on the long-standing, robust institutional support for science education at Fred Hutch, our successful history of engaging and supporting underrepresented students to pursue cancer research careers, and the strength of our science education staff and scientific faculty.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10516675
Project number
2R25CA221770-07
Recipient
FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER
Principal Investigator
Jeanne Ting Chowning
Activity code
R25
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2022
Award amount
$431,684
Award type
2
Project period
2017-09-19 → 2027-08-31