# (1/2) Ponce Health Sciences University-Moffitt Cancer Center Partnership > **NIH NIH U54** · PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $627,180 ## Abstract PROJECT SUMMARY/STATEMENT The Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) and the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) have forged a strong working relationship founded on seamless communication with mutual support and benefits. With Partnership resources and significant commitment from both institutions, we have established joint programs enhancing basic and clinical research, enriching cancer outreach, expanding cancer education, and creating a unique Hispanic/Latino (H/L) Biobank, leading to the development of a robust network and infrastructure necessary for a sustained long-term collaboration to improve cancer outcomes in the H/L population. The U54 Partnership’s impact includes the identification of new mutations in breast and lung cancer in H/L patients, recruitment of new faculty at PHSU and MCC, 184 community outreach educational activities for H/Ls in Florida and Puerto Rico, 240 trainee participants, 234 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and 90 grants funded out of a total of 237 submitted. Twenty Early-Stage Investigators have been supported by the Partnership. The development of the Puerto Rico BioBank (PRBB), the Quantitative Sciences Core (QSC), as well as the training of clinical researchers and the implementation of a clinical trial office at PHSU, demonstrate the broad impact realized through the Partnership. Furthermore, the Partnership had a critical role in the ACGME re-accreditation of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship in PR, in the establishment of two stem cell transplant programs in PR by fellows trained in the MCC Bone Marrow Transplant unit, and in the establishment of an ACGME-accredited surgical residency in Ponce with surgical oncology rotations at MCC. Our vision for the U54 PACHE is to further grow and engage faculty and students in cancer medicine research that directly impacts the H/L population in FL and PR. The Partnership has the requisite components to fully execute this vision in an underserved population – a biobank, a quantitative sciences core (QSC) to analyze data, culturally sensitive outreach materials, expertise in the latest technologies, and a robust research portfolio. The bridge funding will facilitate continued sustainability of this Partnership. The four specific aims proposed in the currently funded U54 Partnership grant are: Aim 1 – To Increase the number of researchers at PHSU focused on basic/translational research in cancer and to augment the number of researchers in cancer health disparities at MCC. This is facilitated with joint projects in ovarian and breast cancer. Aim 2 – To further develop outreach programs and research efforts in H/L communities at both PHSU and MCC. An epidemiological project will examine the impact of receipt of MC1R genotypes on personal sun protection behaviors. Aim 3 – To increase support for basic, translational, and clinical research in the H/L population by establishing the QSC and further developing the PRBB. The MCC Total Cancer Care protocol will be developed in Ponce hospit... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10658230 - **Project number:** 3U54CA163071-10S1 - **Recipient organization:** PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE - **Principal Investigator:** Julie Dutil - **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2022 - **Award amount:** $627,180 - **Award type:** 3 - **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2023-08-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10658230 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10658230, (1/2) Ponce Health Sciences University-Moffitt Cancer Center Partnership (3U54CA163071-10S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10658230. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*