The regions served by the Howard University Cancer Center (HUCC) and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive
Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins (SKCCC), Maryland and the District of Columbia, have had among the
highest cancer death rates in the United States for more than fifty years. Minority residents of these region
have been disproportionately affected by cancer, and cancer has become a leading cause of morbidity and
mortality for African-Americans in both Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. To address this problem,
HUCC and SKCCC have embarked on a partnership to increase productive research in screening,
diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and supportive care as it relates to cancer, with a special focus on cancer
in African-Americans. The successes realized thus far in the HUCC/SKCCC Partnership, with collaborative
research progress in several areas, including prostate cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and breast cancer,
has prompted the submission of this renewal in attempt to secure funds to further augment this partnerships
activities. The major aim of this grant proposal is to continue the development of a sustainable partnership
between HUCC and SKCCC that enhances the research, training, education, and outreach missions of both
institutions. To accomplish this goal, the HUCC/SKCCC Partnership will work to build the research faculty
and scientific programs at HUCC directed at cancer in African-Americans, to enhance population-based
cancer studies at SKCCC involving African-Americans, to increase opportunities for research training and
career development of African-American cancer researchers at HUCC, and to improve education and
outreach programs at SKCCC focused on cancer morbidity and mortality among African-Americans. The
proposal seeks support for 3 full research projects, 2 pilot research projects, 2 pilot training/educational
programs, and core infrastructure at HUCC and SKCCC. Over the 5 years of support requested for the
HUCC/SKCCC Partnership, as these initial research and educational activities progress to compete for
independent funding, new projects, programs, and resources of high priority for development will be
identified and supported. |