An innovative educational program for addressing health disparities in translational cancer research

Cancer Health Disparities Research Training: A Qualitative Report

The Research Education Core of the Pacific Islands Partnership for Cancer Health Equity (PIPCHE) conducted a systematic review of participant learning. All students from both the University of Guam and the University of Hawai'i who have completed the program were asked two open-ended questions, which were then thematically analyzed. (1) What impact did the training have on your career? (2) What did you learn about cancer health disparities? Findings include themes such as expanding social networks, building professional skills, providing opportunities and funding, inspiring a future career in research, and giving back to the community. The results also indicate that students learned that cancer disparities research was complex and diverse, required cultural sensitivity, different areas of cancer research and education, the importance of mentor and peer relationships. Trainees spoke very favorably about the weekly seminar format. These findings are consistent with studies in other similar programs. The authors recommend future educational outcome research.