Delaware Consortium for Undergraduate Minority Training in Prostate Cancer
Abstract
Due to the extremely low levels of minority faculty and graduate students in the sciences, the DoD Majority Institution (MI)/Historically Black College and University (HBCU) program was intended to foster and promote the interest of minority students in basic science and research by partnering one or more HBCUs with a sponsoring MI. In Delaware, this has been accomplished by coordinating student recruitment from Delaware State University (DSU) and Lincoln University (LU) to perform funded summer research in prostate cancer laboratories at the University of Delaware (UD). The aims of the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) were to offer a 10-week summer research program to five qualified minority students, offer a summer enrichment program to these students, and offer activities and extended research at the participating HBCUs during the following academic year. Five academically qualified students, three from DSU and two from LU, were offered slots in the PCRP program. All accepted. One student withdrew and was not replaced. Students did 10-week research rotations in addition to attending research seminars and roundtable discussions on health disparities. They also presented research posters at a the UD undergraduate research symposium at the end of the summer. Criticisms from this symposium led to changes in their posters, which were presented at two national meetings, the IMPaCT meeting in Atlanta, GA, and the ABCRMS meeting in Austin, TX. One student was selected for an oral presentation at IMPaCT and won a prominent award at ABRCMS. Graduating students from LU and DSU are applying to graduate schools. One intends to continue a second year in the PCRP. Two mentors gave three lectures at Lincoln University and DSU in 2007. A prominent African-American physician from Johns Hopkins was recruited for a joint talk hosted at the University of Delaware. The students' research abstracts are included.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA485344
Entities
People
- David C. Usher
- Robert A. Sikes
Organizations
- University of Delaware