Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations (CEESP)

City College Of New York, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This is a 12-week summer mentored field research experience in foreign countries and among populations in the U.S. There are few cancer epidemiologists who have the skills and experience to implement studies in other countries or among populations in this country. Our faculty and field collaborators have the experience to provide expert field research training and mentorship. Students’ success rate in getting into this competitive program declined from 60% in the first few years to 19% when the program became open to students from all 247 U.S. schools and program of public health. The program expanded its field sites across the U.S. Strong infrastructure in global sites has also been extended from Africa and the Middle East to Latin America, Asia, and Europe and students apply their learning experiences form foreign countries to their research and careers in the U.S. The publication rate of students from their summer research data is 70% and alumni published 450 papers after they finished the program. Sixty percent of alumni continued in cancer- and chronic disease-related fields in U.S. populations and 100% of trainees are employed and conduct research in the U.S. after their summer research training. The objective of this proposal is to continue developing and implementing a summer research program to prepare graduate students from accredited U.S. schools and programs of public health in the field of cancer epidemiology. New features of this funding period is increasing the number of annual positions from 15 to 22 and introducing a mentoring workshop in the beginning of the summer. To achieve this objective, the following are the specific aims of the program: Recruit and select first-year MPH and PhD students to fill 22 positions during each year of the 5-year grant renewal period. Maintain and enhance the infrastructure developed in the past 19 years that supports students in summer field research experiences in cancer epidemiology. A new innovation in this grant cycle is the development of a new 2-day session on mentoring in the beginning of the summer. Maintain and increase the pool of on-campus faculty mentors and field site research mentors developed in the past 19 years. Maintain and enhance review and oversight functions of a Cancer Epidemiology Research Training Advisory Committee. Maintain and enhance the process and outcome evaluation and long-term tracking. This program will continue to define cancer epidemiology as a future career discipline for students in the field of epidemiology. The successful implementation of this program will continue to provide a source of skilled professionals needed to carry out cancer and chronic disease epidemiology research across U.S. populations.