# Future Deaf Scientists Program at Wilmot Cancer Institute

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2024 · $255,842

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY /ABSTRACT
People with disabilities – especially deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals – continue to be underrepresented in
STEM graduate programs, health science professions, and research settings. The need to promote disability
inclusion in the scientific workforce is a recognized priority of both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The high attrition rates of deaf undergraduate STEM majors, with an
average of 83% dropping out of their programs before completion, are largely due to unwelcoming research
environments, inadequate access services, and ill-equipped mentors. To address this issue, the University of
Rochester James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute (Wilmot) proposes the Future Deaf Scientists (FDS) program.
This mentored research training initiative is based on a very successful summer internship program forged
through a partnership between Wilmot and the Rochester School for the Deaf (RSD), a bilingual deaf
education institution established in 1876, where instruction is delivered in American Sign Language and
English. The program aims to increase deaf students' participation in cancer research fields and improve the
STEM mentoring environment for young deaf scientists. The FDS program includes cultural competency
training for mentors and American Sign Language interpreter training for advanced STEM content. The FDS
program seeks to formalize a linguistically and culturally appropriate STEM and cancer research curriculum
tailored to deaf high school students that can also be used by schools nationwide. The FDS program applies
an innovative and tailored approach that provides the necessary first step in growing the Deaf Scientist
Training pipeline in Rochester, NY, and promoting cancer STEM efforts nationwide. Ultimately, participating
Deaf students will learn skills and confidence that will empower them to succeed in postsecondary education
and STEM/cancer research careers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10937114
- **Project number:** 1R25CA291660-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Wyatte Christopher Hall
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $255,842
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10937114

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10937114, Future Deaf Scientists Program at Wilmot Cancer Institute (1R25CA291660-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10937114. Licensed CC0.

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