Evaluating a Tri-Institutional Cancer Research Capacity-Building Program for Early-Stage Investigators

Area of Science:

• Cancer Health Equity Research
• Investigator Training and Development
• Health Disparities in Oncology

Background:

• The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) initiative fosters collaborations between under-resourced institutions and NCI-designated Cancer Centers.
• Long-standing partnerships aim to enhance cancer research capacity and workforce development.
• The Morehouse School of Medicine/Tuskegee University/University of Alabama at Birmingham O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center partnership is a key CPACHE program focused on investigator training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the longitudinal impact of a year-long research education program for early-stage investigators (ESIs) and postdoctoral fellows.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in building cancer research skills, enhancing mentorship, and supporting career development.
• To provide insights for optimizing similar training programs for investigators at under-resourced institutions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of administrative records from the Research Education Core for scholars and mentors.
• Utilized Scopus and PubMed databases to track publications.
• Employed NIH RePORTER database to identify grant funding acquisition.

Main Results:

• Nearly 95% of 89 program scholars achieved at least one publication.
• 70% of scholars had a first-author publication, and 62% had a senior-author publication.
• Approximately 20% of scholars secured NIH funding as principal investigators.

Conclusions:

• The tri-institutional training program effectively attracts and supports investigators committed to cancer research.
• Structured training, intensive mentorship, and cross-institutional collaboration significantly contribute to academic career advancement.
• Findings offer valuable insights for enhancing investigator development programs, especially for ESIs and postdoctoral fellows at under-resourced institutions.