Abstract B063: C-STEPS- A Cancer Research Education Program for Undergraduates

Abstract

Abstract As a nation, we have made impressive advances in cancer prevention and control, reflected in improvements in incidence, mortality, stage of disease diagnosis, and survival. These gains are attributed, in part, to significant advances in cancer control and population sciences (CCPS) research in genomic science, behavioral interventions, cancer care delivery, and survivorship. However, minority status, rurality, literacy, and socio-economics continue to predict cancer health disparities. Continued progress, new scientific discoveries, and interventions that lead to health equity require a well-trained cancer and health focused workforce. The goal of the Cancer Research—Scholarship and Training Experiences in Population Sciences (C-STEPS) is to increase the biomedical and behavioral research workforce by providing specialized and experiential cancer research curricula and a mentored research experience to undergraduate students, held over 10-weeks during the summer on the University of New Mexico campus. C-STEPS is designed to facilitate and support undergraduates in their completion of a degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Health (STEM-H) field and to facilitate their selection of, and application to, graduate or professional schools, while encouraging their interests in cancer research careers. A pre and post-assessment tool was used to evaluate and measure C-STEPS student mentees’ interests, preparedness, progress, and knowledge gained. In addition, the evaluation surveys consisted of objective items rated on Likert scales in the domains of program logistics and career impact. At the end of the program, all C-STEPS research mentors completed a qualitative and quantitative survey to identify mentees’ research skills, engagement, and professionalism. Summary statistics were computed for each quantitative item and presented as summary means, and themes were gleaned from qualitative written comments. Overall satisfaction with the C-STEPS program is high. The majority of student mentees felt the program curriculum and instructions were clear, their mentors were of high caliber, and that they learned new research-related concepts and techniques. The mentors felt that mentees obtained new skills relevant to a career in research and gained experience necessary to attain future training and educational opportunities. Our analyses characterize the impact of the inaugural C-STEPS program and adds to the knowledge base of evaluation of STEM-H research education programs. Citation Format: Monica F. Asencio Pimentel, Judith Sheche, Shiraz I. Mishra, Miria Kano, Joseph Rodman. C-STEPS- A Cancer Research Education Program for Undergraduates [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B063.