Undergraduate Cancer Training Program for Underrepresented Students: Findings from a Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson J ; Coronado GD ; Löest H ; O'Connell MA ; Ogaz D ; Thompson B
• Description:
  Students from racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds are underrepresented in graduate programs in biomedical disciplines. One goal of the Minority Institution/Cancer Center partnership between New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) is to expand the number of underrepresented students who are trained in cancer research. As part of the collaboration, a summer internship program has been organized at the FHCRC. The program runs for 9 weeks and involves mentored research, research seminars, coffee breaks, social activities, and a final poster session. This study examined the graduate school attendance rates of past interns, explored interns' perceptions of the training program, and identified ways to improve the program. Thirty undergraduate students enrolled at NMSU participated in the internship program from 2002 to 2007 and telephone interviews were conducted on 22 (73%) of them. One-third of the students were currently in graduate school (32%); the remaining were either working (36%), still in undergraduate school (27%), or unemployed and not in school (5%). Students rated highly the following aspects of the program: mentored research, informal time spent with mentors, and research seminars. Students also reported the following activities would further enhance the program: instruction on writing a personal statement for graduate school and tips in choosing an advisor. Students also desired instruction on taking the GRE/MCAT, receiving advice on selecting a graduate or professional school, and receiving advice on where to apply. These findings can inform the design of internship programs aimed at increasing rates of graduate school attendance among underrepresented students. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Neoplasms Occupational Health Race Factors Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Training Cancer Cancer Research Training Internship Mentorship Racial Factors Training Underrepresented Minority Students
• ISSN:
  0885-8195
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Mexico ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  32-35
• Volume:
  25
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056190
• Citation:
  J Cancer Educ 2010 Mar; 25(1):32-35
• Contact Point Address:
  Gloria D. Coronado, Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, P.O. Box 19024, 1100 Fairview Ave. N; M3-B232, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
• Email:
  gcoronad@fhcrc.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Cancer Education
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2d8c0c6788c94e826a0e5d0848702da826d81e41c5ac8345fba1a68541067de14fb66fc24bba62a35cfdaf188bf2dd660d7264b00ab5b7b14f13db7ada28b73f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213846/cdc_213846_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 89.68 KB ]