The US is experiencing a severe shortage of underrepresented biomedical researchers. The purpose of this paper is to present two case examples of cancer research mentoring programs for underrepresented biomedical sciences students. The first case example is a National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI) P20 grant titled "South Carolina Cancer Disparities Research Center (SC CaDRe)" Training Program, contributing to an increase in the number of underrepresented students applying to graduate school by employing a triple-level mentoring strategy. Since 2011, three undergraduate and four graduate students have participated in the P20 SC CaDRe program. One graduate student published a peer-reviewed scientific paper. Two graduate students (50 %) have completed their master's degrees, and the other two graduate students will receive their degrees in spring 2015. Two undergraduate students (67 %) are enrolled in graduate or professional school (grad./prof. school), and the other graduate student is completing her final year of college. The second case example is a prostate cancer-focused Department of Defense grant titled "The SC Collaborative Undergraduate HBCU Student Summer Training Program," providing 24 students training since 2009. Additionally, 47 students made scientific presentations, and two students have published peer-reviewed scientific papers. All 24 students took a GRE test preparation course; 15 (63 %) have applied to graduate school, and 11 of them (73 %) are enrolled in grad./prof. school. Thirteen remaining students (54 %) are applying to grad./prof. school. Leveraged funding provided research-training opportunities to an additional 201 National Conference on Health Disparities Student Forum participants and to 937 Ernest E. Just Research Symposium participants at the Medical University of South Carolina.

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The South Carolina Cancer Disparities Research Center (SC CaDRe), funded by the NIH/NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) in 2011, is a formal collaboration between the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and South Carolina State University (SCSU, an historically black university). The SC CaDRe focuses on biological mechanisms of disparity in hormone-related cancers (breast and prostate cancer). The Sea Island population plays a prominent role in the three SC CaDRe research projects. The Sea Islanders are an African American ethnic group indigenous to the coastal southeast, with low rates of European American genetic admixture; as such they are ideal for inclusion in biomedical research. Each SC CaDRe research project includes Multiple PIs from MUSC and SCSU. The first research project is titled Biological Implications of DNA Glycation in Prostate Cancer Disparities; the second is titled MicroRNA Mediated Negative Regulation of Caveolin 1 as a Biological Mechanism Driving Breast Cancer Disparities; and the third is titled Feasibility Study of Breast Cancer Candidate Genes in Three Population Groups in South Carolina. The design and results of each project will be presented. The P20 SC CaDRe has led to two funded NIH R21 grants, an R01 grant, an R25E grant, and a DOD research training grant. Three undergraduate students from SCSU and four graduate students from MUSC have participated in SC CaDRe cancer research training, resulting in peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national scientific meetings. As a next step, the SC CaDRe investigators plan to submit an NIH/NCI CRCHD U54 grant application in 2016. Citation Format: Marvella E. Ford, Dennis K. Watson, James Stukes, Mahtabuddin Ahmed, David P. Turner, Ashley Evans Knowell, Victoria J. Findlay, Anita L. Harrison, Kendrea D. Knight, Heidi Varner, Kimberly Cannady, Judith D. Salley. Highlighting the maturation of the MSI/NCI P20 South Carolina Cancer Disparities Research Center Partnership. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B08.