Design and Success of a 21st Century Cancer Education Program at the University of Louisville

Abstract

Cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are among the highest in the nation. The University of Louisville was the recipient of a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded cancer education program grant in 1975 under the leadership of Dr. Norbert Burzynski. A new and totally redesigned performance-based University of Louisville Cancer Education Program was funded by NCI in 2011 to recruit and motivate outstanding undergraduate and health professional students to pursue further training and careers in cancer research. Here, we describe the strategy, design, methods, implementation, and accomplishments of our twenty-first century performance-based cancer education program. Our program will meet or exceed all of its 5-year performance goals, including the total number students (n = 156) and under-represented minorities (n = 53) who successfully completed the program under the mentorship of cancer research-intensive faculty members of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center (JGBCC). The mentored research program is complemented with professional development and enhancement activities, including cancer research seminars presented by faculty members actively engaged in research centered on the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer, creation of individual career development plans, exploration of cancer research careers, and acquisition of professionalism skills. Student interests towards cancer research significantly increased after completion of the program compared to baseline (P = 0.02). Based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of various components of the curricula, the trainees favor practical, engaging, and interactive activities aligned within professional career goals and objectives. For instance, the trainees prefer two 30-min small group discussions on “Navigating Careers in Cancer Research” with faculty, professional students, and program alumni. Future updates to the program include new activities that capitalize on the cross-disciplinary background of our mentors and trainees as well as a team-based approach to professional development. Our cancer education program will continue to enhance the professional development of the next generation of cancer scientists and clinicians.

The Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program: Preparing Appalachian Kentucky High School and Undergraduate Students for Cancer Careers

“…In comparison to other, similar high school and undergraduate student cancer research experience programs, the ACTION Program appears to be achieving similar if not more favorable outcomes. For example, a 2018 publication on the University of Louisville's (UofL) Cancer Research program reported that approximately a third of the students who participated in the program went on to pursue advanced education (beyond undergraduate) in health-science related fields (Hein & Kidd, 2018). It is important to note that UofL's program is not a direct comparison since it does not include the academic year research component and the total number UofL participants (n=121) was also significantly higher than the ACTION Program to date.…”

“…The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Youth Enjoy Science (YES) Research Education Program funds nonprofit and government-based research programs with the dual goal of increasing cancer knowledge and awareness among underrepresented students while also preparing these students to participate in careers in biomedical research (NCI, 2021b). Programs funded by the NCI and other cancer research training programs have been shown to increase awareness of cancer and cancer prevention methods (Cameron et al, 2012); increase interest in cancer research (Hein & Kidd, 2018); increase interest in medical and/or cancer-related careers (Alfred et al, 2011); and produce a high number of students pursuing and completing medical, professional, and doctoral programs (Alfred et al, 2011;Gronemeyer, 2011;Hein & Kidd, 2018). These programs for high school and undergraduate students have primarily focused on promoting cancer research training to underrepresented racial minority youth populations and/or students from urban areas (Alfred et al, 2011;Hein & Kidd, 2018;Qua et al, 2020).…”