Developing a Novel Framework for an Undergraduate Cancer Research Education and Engagement Program for Underrepresented Minority Students: The Florida-California CaRE² Research Education Core (REC) Training Program

Abstract

Lack of substantive research experiences and technical skills mentoring during undergraduate studies leaves many Underrepresented Minority (URM) students unprepared to apply to competitive graduate programs. As a part of our ongoing effort to increase the pipeline for the development and training of successful URM scientists in biomedical sciences with focus on reducing cancer health disparities, the Florida-California Cancer Research Education and Engagement (CaRE²) Health Equity Center was launched in 2018. Funded through an NIH/NCI U54 grant mechanism, the CaRE² Center is a triad partnership among Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), a minority serving institution, University of Florida (UF) and University of Southern California (USC) Cancer Center. One of the objectives of the triad partnership is to promote the coordination and implementation of the training of the next generation of Black and Latinx biomedical scientists in Florida and California. An important component of the CaRE² program is the Research and Education Core (REC) designed to coordinate the training of URM students and researchers at different levels in their academic and professional developments. The undergraduate cancer research training program under FAMU-CaRE² Center is a three-year (2018-2021) project to identify, train, mentor and provide the URM undergraduate students with the support network they need to flourish in the program and beyond. In its year-one funding cycle, the program has made significant progress in developing a novel framework for an undergraduate cancer research education and engagement program at FAMU, one of the forefront minority institutions in the nation. The mentored research program is complemented with professional development and engagement activities, including cancer research seminars, workshops and community outreach activities. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the strategies implemented for an effective partnership, the leadership and mentoring skills and outcomes from the year-one experiences. In addition, we present the progress made in advancing the pool of underrepresented minority students with scientific and academic career progression paths focused on cancer health disparities.

Introduction

Within the United States (U.S.), cancer is the second leading cause of death. It is projected by the American Cancer Society that in 2020, there will be an estimated 1.8 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 606,520 cancer deaths in the US [1]. The burden of illness imposed on society as a result of cancer represents a major issue in health care and as a result, significant resources are directed toward research into cancer control. Cancer affects different populations differently, and minority groups in the U.S. continue to bear a greater cancer burden. The National Science Foundation reports that individuals from African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Hispanic (or Latinx), Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Island groups are underrepresented when compared to their age-groups in science-baccalaureate earners, among science-Ph.D. earners, and in the biomedical workforce [2-4].

The underrepresentation of minorities in basic, clinical and behavioral research has been viewed as a significant barrier to addressing cancer disparities, and the inclusion of minority populations in clinical trials [5-9]. The process of diversifying the research workforce is complex and is affected by institutional and community contexts. Universities play an essential role in preparing the future workforce and could catalyze changes that will enhance the research enterprise, drive discovery, and increase our nation’s competitiveness in the global economy [10-12]. Thus, there is an urgent national need for research based academic institutions to exponentially increase the number of Ph.D. students from underrepresented populations who are supported and mentored in their science education and career track to succeed in hypothesis driven research training in oncology and the biomedical sciences. As a part of the aforementioned effort, the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), one of the leading minority serving institutions in the nation, has partnered with the University of Florida (UF) and the University of Southern California - Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC-NCCC), research intensive institutions, to build a strong pathway to workforce diversity in Florida and California. The long-term objective of the Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement (CaRE²) program is to increase the pipeline for the development and training of successful Underrepresented Minority (URM) scientists focused on reducing disparities in cancer. Combined, the three institutions have unique expertise to support the proposed research education and community engagement model program. FAMU has demonstrated a track record for enrolling URM students and preparing them as outstanding graduates, who go to pursue Ph.D. degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences [13]. Hence, FAMU provides a unique environment for the development and testing of this triad partnership program. UF is one of only few institutions in the nation with an academic health center having six health-related colleges. The UF’s multidisciplinary centers and institutes, including the Health Cancer Center, the Proton Therapy Institute, the Genetics Institute, the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, the McKnight Brain Institute, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Institute on Aging, and the Emerging Pathogens Institute, are designed to create synergies and collaborative research opportunities that focus on the translational nature of biomedical research, following the continuum from fundamental research to clinical research to patient care [14]. USC, located in the multicultural city of Los Angeles, has a highly diverse student body; the incoming freshman class of 2019 consists of 22% underrepresented minority students, including 7% African-American, 13% Latino and 2% Native American/Pacific Islander, and 14% of students are the first in their families to attend college. The USC-NCCC has held this designation since 1973, when it was named as one of the first eight comprehensive cancer centers. USC Norris is a major regional and national resource for cancer research, treatment, prevention, and education. More than 200 scientists are members of the USC-NCCC [15]. The focus of the cross-institutional and bi-coastal collaboration is to offer state-of-the-art research training and provide a career-oriented approach that is designed to generate tomorrow's minority scientific leaders in academia, health care and industry.

The FAMU undergraduate cancer research training program under the umbrella of Florida-California CaRE² Center is a three-year (2018-2021) project to identify, train, mentor and provide the URM undergraduate students with the support network they need to flourish in the CaRE² program and beyond. The mentored research program is complemented with professional development and engagement activities, including cancer research seminars, workshops and community outreach activities. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the strategies implemented in developing a novel framework for undergraduate cancer research education and engagement program for undergraduate minority students by the Research Education Core (REC) of the FLORIDA-California CaRE² program.

Research Education Core

An important component of the CaRE² program is the Research Education Core (REC) designed to promote coordination and implementation of the training of the next generation of researchers at different levels in their academic or professional development. Through the CaRE² initiative, REC proposed to train about 125 Black and Latino investigators during the grant life period (2018-2023), from undergraduate students to early career scientists. The FAMU-based Undergraduate CaRE² Program is a 12-week summer undergraduate multi-faceted research, education and engagement (service-learning experience) model that includes: “hands-on” research experiences, coursework, seminars and workshops related to cancer prevention research, presentations at research conferences, participating in discussion/journal groups and engaging in networking events. These activities will likely help the trainees develop their academic/scientific knowledge and techniques as well as build their networking and other “soft skills” in the program and beyond. The program models the research and professional development experiences established by NCI-funded Florida Minority Cancer Research Training (MiCaRT) and UF Research Training Opportunities for Outstanding Leaders (ReTOOL) programs [16]. The REC training focus was placed on recruitment of upper level undergraduate students (juniors and seniors) but exceptional sophomores were also considered. In year-one funding cycle, the CaRE² Center at FAMU undergraduate training program successfully developed a framework to build a model undergraduate interdisciplinary biomedical research education program with focus in cancer health disparity in partnership with the CaRE² Centers at UF and USC through the following six-step implementation plan.

i. Program Promotion, Application and Selection of Trainees:

The program was promoted as NCI-sponsored undergraduate didactic and hands-on cancer research and academic/career development program that will improve student’s competitiveness for acceptance into professional and other research-intensive programs. Messages were sent out over the FAMU INFO email service, TV, Radio, student newspaper and blackboard learning management system. Flyers were distributed to faculty, Department Chairs, Program coordinators in Chemistry, Biology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Allied Health Sciences, Psychology, Nursing, computer science and physics. In addition, pre-arranged research laboratories and classrooms (Honors Program, Medical Scholars, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental sciences and Pharmaceutical sciences) visitations were arranged by REC leaders to invite talented students into the program. Finally, the REC and CaRE² leadership team hosted an open house event for all interested visitors. The REC leaders from the CaRE² Center at FAMU, UF, and USC developed an application process like the NCI based ReTOOL program. The process included online portal (FAMU Qualtrics) submission of applications, two recommendation letters, personal statement and interest in cancer research (identifying areas of interest) and academic transcripts. Numerous undergraduate students from different academic backgrounds and interdisciplinary programs applied to participate in the training programs. Applications were reviewed by panel of REC leaders from the three institutions. Review criteria included academic and previous research experience, personal and professional goals and potential in succeeding in graduate or professional programs. Applicants with the highest grade-point average (GPA), previous research experience and planning to pursue Ph.D. in biomedical science were invited to participate in final interviews. During the interview, the applicants delivered 5-minute summary of their experience as college students, interest in their professional and academic goals. The REC committee asked the applicants about their choices to work at various FAMU, UF or USC research laboratories. The final report from the telephone interview and the supporting documents of each candidate was vetted collaboratively with CaRE² Multiple Principal Investigators (MPIs). Out of 22 qualified candidates 16 highly qualified were invited for final interview and 13 candidates were selected for year-one training. A careful emphasis was placed in arranging an appropriate mentor-mentee match, based on the applicant’s personal statement. Four candidates were matched to UF, eight to FAMU and one candidate to FAMU/USC mentors.

ii. Didactic Training:

The 12-week program begins with a 2-week mentor-guided independent didactic training at FAMU followed by a 10-week laboratory-based research training opportunities, some of which occurs at different sites. The first day of the program begins with an intensive orientation in which students receive a welcome address by FAMU leadership team. The session follows with comprehensive information about key aspects of the program, including program schedule, expectations and subsistence pay allowance and schedule. The two-week mentor-guided independent didactic training began with an orientation designed to familiarize the trainees with general rules for starting life in the research laboratory. Individualized orientations were given by mentors in the fundamentals of the research process, responsible conduct of research, research integrity, conducting literature search, and recording research data in laboratory notebooks. Trainees were guided through Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval process. An online safety training in the responsible conduct of research and chemical safety course were completed and certificates of completion were submitted to REC program leaders. The UF training was structured similarly in conjunction with the Research Training Opportunity for Outstanding Leaders (ReTOOL) program at UF- College of Pharmacy and Medicine.

iii. Research Training:

The cornerstone of the program was participation of the trainees in laboratory research that would benefit future cancer treatment and prevention, in the distant future. As one of the first assigned tasks, with the help of their mentor, trainees devised a project (within the parameters of the ongoing research within the faculty mentor’s research lab) suitable for presentation at the end of the summer training session. Our aim was to train the 13 undergraduate students in cancer disparity and interdisciplinary research, to design and conduct research on significant problems in cancer, by combining information and approaches from different scientific disciplines, including drug design and synthesis, basic cellular and molecular biology, epidemiology and behavioral-social sciences (Table-1). The rationale behind this approach is to produce researchers who can excel in the increasingly complex and specialized environments required for future cancer research.

Table 1.

Academic Majors and Research Project Disciplines for each Trainee.

Major area	Gender	Classification	Research Project Discipline
Biology	F	Senior	Pharmacology *
Chemistry	M	Sophomore	Medicinal Chemistry *
Nursing	F	Sophomore	Biobehavioral Sciences **
Nursing	F	Sophomore	Pharmaceutical Sciences *
Biology	M	Junior	Epidemiology **
Pharmacy	F	Junior	Drag Discovery and Development *
Nursing	F	Sophomore	Pharmaceutical Sciences *
Biology	F	Senior	Medicinal Chemistry *
Pharmacy	F	Sophomore	Pharmacogenomics ***
Nursing	F	Sophomore	Biobehavioral Sciences **
Nursing	F	Sophomore	Pharmacology **
Biology	F	Junior	Pharmacology *
Nursing	F	Sophomore	Computational Chemistry *

^*CaRE² at FAMU Center

^**CaRE² at UF Center

^***CaRE² at USC/FAMU centers

iv. Extracurricular Activities, Community Engagement and Field Trips:

Bi-weekly informal activities outside research laboratories and classrooms were organized by REC leaders and mentors. The goal of the activities was to foster a two-way exchange of ideas about the situation of cancer information in the community where they lived. As part of the bi-weekly meeting, trainees discuss their progress and challenges in their research endeavors. This experience allowed the trainees to become comfortable discussing their own research, re-examine their research goals and strategies, and learn about the research interest of participants from different disciplines. The trainees under the guidance of the FAMU REC leaders participated in service-learning community-based cancer awareness event. The trainees in partnership with local non-profit organizations were engaged in outreach activities to help communicate the goals and enhance their skills to solve real world cancer prevention problems. One such activity was the “Annual Southside of Tallahassee Men’s Health Fair, June 14, 2019” organized by the Tallahassee Senior Center Foundation. About 40 organizations with display tables took part in this health fair, which focused on prostate cancer issues. All the 9 REC trainees at FAMU had a display table in collaboration with the “Community Outreach Core”, which is another CaRE² component. More than one hundred community members and their families visited the fair where health screenings, distribution of health-related leaflets, consultations and community interactions, including productive question-answer sessions took place. Similarly, the REC at FAMU organized an educational field trip to visit University of Florida and explore the UF Cancer and Genetics Center, Cancer Infusion Center, Tissue Bank and College of Nursing programs to learn about the cutting-edge research facilities and the collaborative, interdisciplinary environment of UF cancer program. Similarly, the USC-NCCC provided a four-week career development training for two REC undergraduate trainees and one FAMU faculty mentor/ MPI; which introduced them to all phases in RNA Sequencing.

v. Seminar Series:

A bi-weekly interdisciplinary seminar series was the core of professional and academic development. The goal of this seminar series was to introduce the trainees to diverse research designs, methodologies and approaches to cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention, as well as studying cancer research regarding ethics and statistics. Highly qualified faculty mentors covered the following topics (Table-2) for the organized seminars/webinars/workshops. Each seminar lasted approximately 2-3 hours.

Table-2.

2018-2019 Bi-weekly Seminar & Workshop Series

Week	Topic	Speaker
Week-2	“Application of Molecular Modeling in Anti-cancer Drug Design & Development”	Director of Molecular Modeling - Laboratory (FAMU).
Week-4	“Research Ethics and Biosafety: Animal Ethics; Human Ethics, Scientific Integrity and Code of Conduct.”	Professor Medicinal Chemistry (FAMU)
Week-5	Men’s Health Day Fair Presentation (Community Hall)	FAMU ‘s First Lady and healthcare practitioner (FAMU)
Week-5	“Biostatistics: Data Collection Techniques and Interpretation”.	Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics (FAMU).
Week-7	“Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in African American Women: Disparities versus Biology.”	Associate Professor of Pharmacology - Toxicology (FAMU).
Week-9	“Research Design, Scientific Writing and Graduate Programs in Biomedical Sciences.”	* Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs, Director, Programs in Biomedical Sciences (USC)
Week-11	“Cancer Research Community Engagement Webinar by a Cancer Advocate.”	* 22-year Survivor of Ovarian Cancer and Cancer Advocate
Week-11	“Fellowship and Discussion about Health Disparity Research Activities (at UF)”	* Executive Assoc. Dean and Kirbo Endowed Chair, College of Nursing (UF)
Week-12	“Closing Ceremony Presentation: The Importance of Mentoring and Networking in Academia.”	Associate Professor Behavioral Sciences and Health Education (FAMU)

^*Webinar seminars

vi. Symposium, Conference Presentations and Continued Research:

All the trainees gave oral and poster presentations on their research project after they completed their research training to the University Community during the program closing ceremony. Two trainees presented posters of work conducted during their summer training at the 12th. AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, September 20 - 23, 2019. At a later stage, five REC students submitted abstracts for presentation at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) that was held in Anaheim, California in November 2019 (Table-3). The abstracts were reviewed by the conference and all five abstracts were accepted. Three of the students received ABRCMS Travel Award based on merit. Encouraged by the comments and inputs from the visitors, three of them applied for funding from FAMU Undergraduate Research Office (URO) to continue their research during the academic year. The CaRE² at FAMU office in collaboration with FAMU-URO arranged opportunities for three CaRE² trainees to continue their research during the academic year. Two of the summer Interns continued their research during the academic year on a part-time basis and earned academic credit depending on their department requirement.

Table 3.

Conference Presentation & Abstract Number

	Topic
ABRCMS	“Evaluation of Mutations in HSP40 Genes in Cancer” (#5188, F-013)
ABRCMS	“Synthesis of Tetrahydroisoqinoles (THIQs) as Ant-Breast Cancer Agents.” (#3176, D-066)
ABRCMS	“Evaluation of Cytotoxicity Effects of Modified Gemcitabine Nanoparticles Against Pancreatic Cancer Cells” (#3974)
ABRCMS	“Synthesis, Spectroscopic and In-Silico Studies of Piplartine Analogues Bearing 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles as Potential Anticancer Agents” (#4116, B-137)
ABRCMS	“Design, Synthesis & Biological Evaluations of Piplartine Analogues Carrying Pyrazole, Pyrrole and 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Moieties as Anticancer Agents with Anti-inflammatory Effects” (#4160, B-129)
AACR	“Racial differences in painful body surface area (bSA) and pain intensity among hospice cancer patients.” (C-005)

Conclusion:

In summary, out of 13 students, 7 students presented posters at national conferences, 6 students were accepted into professional (PharmD & Nursing) programs, and 3 students were enrolled in further research in the Fall semester. The Florida-California CaRE² undergraduate cancer research training program at FAMU in partnership with UF and USC provided a positive professional development experience for URM students that will lead to minimizing cancer and biomedical sciences disparity. This experience strengthened value of partnership between a minority institution, FAMU, and two research-intensive majority institutions: namely UF and USC in the conduct of effective research training activities for URM students. Our trainees gained understanding of the complex and interdisciplinary nature of cancer research from the bi-weekly seminar series and the professional development and community engagement activities. Through the UF Cancer and Genetics Center, College of Nursing, and College of Pharmacy facilities and research labs tour, our trainees gained a major exposure to original, ground-breaking and high-impact research work and their eyes were opened to the possible opportunities available for them in the future.