The NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities: Moving Forward to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities and Diversify the Cancer Biomedical Workforce

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) was established in 2001 with the purpose of confronting and eliminating cancer health disparities, while increasing workforce diversity in cancer research.Over the last two decades, CRCHD has generated a broad range of research, training, and community outreach activities to address these overarching goals through a variety of programs including the Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE), Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (PACHE), Special Populations Networks (SPN), Community Networks Program (CNP), CNP Centers (CNPC), and Patient Navigation Research Program (PNRP).CRCHD, through its CURE and now its Intramural CURE (iCURE) programs, has been fully dedicated to training the next generation of competitive researchers from backgrounds typically underrepresented in the cancer and cancer health disparities research fields. Today, CRCHD leads NCI's efforts in supporting research training and career development experiences beginning as early as middle school and continuing through to tenured track appointments.CRCHD has also developed a robust basic research focus in cancer disparities, which has recently expanded into translational disparities research and the generation of novel, authenticated animal models appropriate for advancing disparities research investigations.Additionally, CRCHD has fostered an integrated networks infrastructure to complement and support its disparities research and diversity training efforts, as well as provide cancer education and outreach among racially and ethnically diverse and medically underserved communities.Moving forward, the CRCHD will continue its steadfast efforts to move us closer to the day when diversity is a given and disparities no longer exist.