CSULA-COH Collaborative to Study Cancer Disparities

(California State University at Los Angeles and City of Hope Cancer Center)

Partnership Abstract

The goals of the partnership between California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) and the City of Hope (COH) Cancer Center are: 1) to increase the participation and capacity of minority students and minority faculty in cancer research, especially as it relates to cancer disparities among minority populations; and 2) to increase our understanding, at the molecular; behavioral, and psychosocial levels, of cancer disparities among minority populations. The Cancer Collaborative consists of five components: a) the Administrative Core; b) the internal Advisory Committee (IAC); c) the Pilot Project Faculty; d) the Laboratory Mentors; and e) the CSULA students.

Minority faculty investigators at CSULA and COH will develop and complete individualized career development plans that will include co-development and participation in Pilot Projects and that will take advantage of the many cancer-related resources at COH. The Collaborative will also train CSULA students in cancer research and some of these students will be eligible for admission into COH’s Graduate School through a CSULA-COH pipeline mechanism to be established. The Collaborative will also increase awareness of researchers and students of minority population cancer disparities through a Distinguished Speaker Series, and promote the transition of Pilot Projects to RO1-level funding. These activities will help to narrow the gap in health care disparities between the underrepresented minority populations and the majority population.