"UHAND"-A National Cancer Institute Funded Partnership to Advance Cancer Health Equity through Scholar Training.

Arooba A Haq,Litty Koshy,Shine Chang,Lorraine R Reitzel,Tzuan A Chen,Crystal Roberson,Kamisha H Escoto,Lorna H Mcneill,Kayce D Solari Williams

doi:10.3390/ijerph18105054

Abstract

Black and Hispanic adults are disproportionately affected by cancer incidence and mortality, and experience disparities in cancer relative to their White counterparts in the US. These groups, including women, are underrepresented among scientists in the fields of cancer, cancer disparities, and cancer care. The “UHAND” Program is a partnership between institutions (University of Houston and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) aiming to build the capacity of underrepresented and racial/ethnic minority student “scholars” to conduct research on eliminating cancer inequities by reducing social and physical risk factors among at-risk groups. Here, we examine the outcomes of the UHAND Program’s first scholar cohort (n = 1 postdoctoral fellow, n = 3 doctoral scholars, n = 6 undergraduate scholars). Data collection included baseline, mid-program, and exit surveys; program records; and monthly scholar achievement queries. From baseline to exit, scholars significantly increased their research self-efficacy (p = 0.0293). Scholars largely met goals for academic products, achieving a combined total of 65 peer-reviewed presentations and nine empirical publications. Eight scholars completed the 2-year program; one undergraduate scholar received her degree early and the postdoctoral fellow accepted a tenure-track position at another university following one year of training. Scholars highly rated UHAND’s programming and their mentors’ competencies in training scholars for research careers. Additionally, we discuss lessons learned that may inform future training programs.

Highlights

The underrepresentation of women and individuals identifying as members of racial/ethnic minority groups in cancer disparities research and cancer care is well known [1,2], as are the potentially linked racial and ethnic disparities in cancer risk, cancer incidence, and cancer mortality
African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx men and women bear an unjust burden of incidence and mortality from several cancers relative to their non-Hispanic White counterparts [3]
This report described the implementation of the UHAND Program, a University of Houston (UH) and MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDA)

Summary

Introduction

Importance of Workforce Diversity in Cancer Disparities Research. The underrepresentation of women and individuals identifying as members of racial/ethnic minority groups in cancer disparities research and cancer care is well known [1,2], as are the potentially linked racial and ethnic disparities in cancer risk, cancer incidence, and cancer mortality. African American/Black (hereafter, Black) and Hispanic/Latinx (hereafter, Hispanic) men and women bear an unjust burden of incidence and mortality from several cancers (e.g., breast, lung) relative to their non-Hispanic White counterparts [3]. Black and Hispanic adults experience disparities in cancer risk behaviors, whereby they have greater incidence of physical inactivity, a poorer diet, greater rates of overweight/obesity, and more difficulty quitting tobacco than non-Hispanic White.

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