Program Overview

Program Overview

The Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) Research Education Core provides Native American students with mentoring and research experiences of importance to their own communities to help them achieve their training goals for a career in the health sciences. Native Americans are the most underrepresented racial/ethnic group among physicians and scientists, and cancer is the number one cause of death among Native Americans. The program aims to address cancer health disparities in Native American communities by training a greater number of Native Americans for biomedical careers.

Specific Aims

The specific aims of the NACP Research Education Core are to:

• Mentor Native American students to succeed in their undergraduate studies and expose them to hands-on research and Native American role models.
• Provide activities to successfully transition Native American undergraduate students into advanced degree programs that will train them to address cancer health disparities in their communities.
• Mentor NACP junior faculty and provide cultural competency training in partnership with the Outreach Core for all NACP faculty and staff.
• Create programming and support services to promote applications to national fellowships from Native American graduate students and postdoctoral trainees in collaboration with the GUIDeS shared resource.
• Collaboratively build a curriculum related to cancer health disparities, career development, and cultural competency in research with Tribal nations.

NACP Research Education Core Activities

The NACP Research Education Core offers various activities, including:

• Mentored research experiences in NAU labs focusing on cancer or cancer-related research in Indigenous communities.
• Summer programs to transition from high school or community college to the university.
• Summer internships at other institutions.
• Development of an individualized career plan.
• Attendance at national meetings focused on health research in Native American communities.
• Mentoring sessions with Native American researchers as role models.
• A graduate programs primer that provides guidance on applying for post-baccalaureate degree programs.

Mentored Research

• NACP aims to support Indigenous students to improve their preparation and training for biomedical and behavioral sciences at the PhD level.
• Students can gain research mentored experience in an NAU lab that focuses on cancer or cancer-related research in Indigenous communities.
• Students receive an hourly stipend up to 20 hours per week in the academic year.
• Summer salaries are dependent on grant funding.
  • Eligibility:
    • Identify as Indigenous (priority is given to Indigenous students but not required).
    • NAU student.
    • Interest in pursuing research related to cancer in Indigenous populations.
    • Complete an application.
    • Interview with the program coordinator and complete an individual development plan (IDP).
  • Link to Potential Research Mentors:
    • Jani Ingram.
    • Priscilla Sanderson.
    • Heather Williamson.
    • Fernando Monroy.
    • Naomi Lee.
    • Past mentors.
    • Matthew Salanga.
    • Dirk De Heer.
    • Greg Caporaso.
    • Others identify cancer-related researchers.

Cancer Health Disparities Course

• The goal of this training course is to prepare NACP student researchers and community members about research with Tribal communities.
• The course will also strengthen their career development as they continue in the research field.
• The course is self-paced and free to anyone interested.
• The course is divided into 3 modules with various chapters.
  • Demographic survey.
  • Module 1: Cancer 101.
  • Module 2: Research with Tribal Nations.
  • Module 3: Career Development.

My Journey Series

• To provide Native American cancer research exposure to students within NACP through scientific seminars at UA and NAU.
• This program also offers the opportunity for students to attend and present at other National research-related conferences.
• You can attend the speaker series in-person or via zoom.

Professional Development

• NIH Internships.
  • The NACP REC staff will assist with identifying research opportunities, review application materials, and coordinate meetings with the program leaders.
• NCI iCURE.
• NINDS Health Disparities in Tribal Communities.
• NIDDK DSRTP.
• NIDDK STEP-UP.
• Conferences NACP students may receive travel support to present at local and national conferences.
• Graduate Primer Premier Program (GPP) A mini-conference at the UA to provide students in NACP about UA graduate programs in biomedical and cancer research.
• UA Intro to Oncology Careers for NA- Students are able to enroll in a one-unit course during the fall semester that is led by faculty or graduate students already conducting research relevant to Native Americans or Native American students working in cancer-related areas.
• Others the NACP REC will support the professional development of their students.