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American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society and four Historically Black Colleges and Universities Announce Groundbreaking Diversity in Cancer Research Program to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Unique Program Will Create A More Inclusive Cancer Research Environment, Help Address Health Disparities

Atlanta-September 22, 2021  -   The American Cancer Society (ACS), along with four historically black medical schools including Charles Drew Medical School, Howard University, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine, today announced a groundbreaking Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Program to help improved diversity, equity and inclusion in the cancer research field.   The inaugural initiatives of the overarching program include DICR Institutional Development Grants.  The four HBCU’s have received DICR grants in a pilot program for 2021-2022.

The awards provided through the DICR program are unique in cancer research.  They provide a large amount of salary support for the four colleges to select clinical faculty who need more dedicated time for their cancer research and scholarly activities.  They also fund other student and postdoctoral program and underpin the awards with career development funds and mentorship by established American Cancer Society Professors.  The grants will build sustainability for both clinical and scientific cancer-focused careers, launching or sustaining the careers of 104 individuals by 2025.

The impactful program will create a more inclusive research environment to address health disparities more effectively and could lead to targeted recruitment efforts focused on bringing people of color into clinical research protocols. Establishing a research community that is made up of a diverse group of people is vital to ensuring scientific excellence.

American Cancer Society Awardees

• Pilot Grant Awardees

  Robina Josiah Willock, PhD, MPH Community Heath & Preventative Medicine	Desiree Rivers, PhD, MSPH Community Heath & Preventative Medicine	Shaneeta Johnson, MD, MBA, FACS Department of Surgery	Sasha Corbin, MD Department of Surgery

• Research Scholars Awardees

  Rajesh Singh, PhD Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology	Desiree Rivers, PhD, MSPH Community Heath & Preventative Medicine

• Post-Doctoral Fellow Awardees

  Victoria Churchill, PhD, MPH Community Heath & Preventative Medicine

American Cancer Society Subaward Requirements

Subaward Grant Mechanisms	Requirements
Pilot Grants	Applicants must be full-time faculty within the first 6-years of initial appointment who have not yet obtained R-level funding.
Clinician Scientist Development Grants	Applicants must be early career clinical scientists (Instructor or Assistant Professor) within the initial 6 years of a faculty appointment with a clinical license and has a role in clinical care.
Post-doctoral Fellows	Researchers who are US citizens or permanent residents and within three years of receiving a doctoral degree.
Masters Scholars	Students must be enrolled in a master program with an interest in Cancer Control and Prevention or cancer research.

Award Amount and Term

Subaward Grant Mechanisms	Requirements
Pilot Grants (16)	$30,000; 4 grant/years x 4 years = $ 480,000
Clinician Scientist Development Grants (2)	$600,000 x 2 clinicians over 4 years = $1,200,000
Post-Doctoral Fellowships (2)	$175,500 x 2 post-docs over 3 years = $351,000
Masters Scholars (6)	$25,000/year x 2 MS x 2 years; 3 MS cohorts: $300,000

Summary of Research Subawards

Pilot Grants

Shaneeta M. Johnson, MD, MBA, FACS
Sasha Corbin, MD
Department of Surgery/Morehouse School of Medicine

Pilot Grant: Disparities In Colon Cancer Amongst African Descendants: A Retrospective Observational Pilot Study comparing African Americans and Afro-Caribbean Persons

Desiree A. Rivers, PhD, MSPH
Robina Josiah Willock, PhD, MPH
Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine/Morehouse School of Medicine

Pilot Grant: Bridges to Cancer Health Equity Navigator Training

Desiree A. Rivers, PhD, MSPH
Associate Professor
Community Health and Preventive Medicine
Research Scholars Grant: Using a plant-based diet and exercise to improve outcome in AA postmenopausal breast and endometrial cancer survivors.

Rajesh Singh, PhD
Associate Professor
Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology
Research Scholars Grant: Social and molecular determinants of liver cancer disparities

Clinician Scientist Development Grants

Regina Lee, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Morehouse School of Medicine

Clinician Scientist Development Grant: Molecular Classification of Endometrial Cancer and Clinical Outcomes in African American women  (under review)

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Victoria Churchill, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow: Health Communication
Georgia State University
Post-Doctoral Candidate: Tobacco Research/Health Communication (In progress)