Evaluation of the Impact of NCI’s Summer Curriculum on Cancer Prevention on Participants from Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Summer Curriculum on Cancer Prevention provides scientists and health care professionals training in principles and practices of cancer prevention and control, and molecular biology and genetics of cancer. Originally intended for US scientists, the curriculum's enrollment of international scientists has increased steadily. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the curriculum's impact on knowledge, skills, and career accomplishments of the international participants from low- and middle-income countries. International participants from 1998 to 2009 completed questionnaires regarding knowledge, overall experience, and accomplishments directly associated with the curriculum. Almost all respondents agreed that the curriculum enhanced their knowledge and skills, prepared them to contribute to cancer control activities in their home countries, and addressed specific needs and achieve research goals. The NCI Summer Curriculum on Cancer Prevention gives international participants a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge and effectively contribute to cancer control activities in their home country.