FY09 DOD Prostate Cancer HBCU Student Summer Training Program Award

The PCRP Collaborative Undergraduate HBCU Student Summer Training Program Award was introduced in FY04. Since then, 33 proposals have been received and 20 have been recommended for funding. The Collaborative Undergraduate HBCU Student Summer Training Program Award supports the training of the next generation of prostate cancer researchers. Emphasis is on individuals who may be likely to focus their research on addressing prostate cancer health disparities. This award funds new or existing summer prostate cancer training programs for undergraduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) at institutions with ongoing prostate cancer research. This award also requires collaboration with faculty advisors from the undergraduate trainees’ home HBCU. The PI’s institution, which may also be an HBCU, must have a record of achievement in prostate cancer research and in research training. A goal of this award is to establish or strengthen collaborations between the PI’s institution and the undergraduate trainees’ HBCU, which will lead to recruitment of talented trainees from the HBCU to the PI’s institutional prostate cancer training program. It is expected that these awards will provide educational and training opportunities for undergraduate HBCU students at an important career decision-making point. When the PI’s institution is an HBCU, the undergraduate trainees must be recruited from a different HBCU. Proposals for this award should address the following key aspects for the proposed prostate cancer undergraduate training program: • The qualifications of the Program Director (mentor; designated as the PI) and other program faculty and staff who will serve as collaborating mentors, including their track record in training undergraduate students; • The proposed training program for the undergraduate HBCU trainees at the PI’s institution, including research, seminars/symposia, course work, etc.; • The plans for recruitment of undergraduate HBCU trainees and for continued interaction of the PI with the trainees beyond the summer internship period; • The qualifications and the role of the faculty advisor at the trainees’ HBCU. Proposals must enroll a minimum of four undergraduate HBCU trainees per year, who may be recruited from multiple HBCUs. Trainees must spend 8 to 12 weeks during the summer participating in the program at the PI’s institution. The trainees in this program can be named or designated “to be named” (TBN) at the time of proposal submission; however, the criteria for selection of the trainees at the HBCU must be detailed within the body of the proposal. FY09 DOD Prostate Cancer HBCU Student Summer Training Program Award 4 When a proposal includes multiple mentors, a single individual must be clearly designated as the PI. The mentor(s) must show a commitment to the undergraduate trainees’ HBCU through a plan to provide additional mentoring opportunities to participating trainees at the institution beyond the summer internship period. A faculty advisor at the trainees’ HBCU must be named and his or her qualifications provided with the proposal. This faculty advisor will be responsible for working with the PI to coordinate trainee activities during both the summer training program and throughout the corresponding academic year. To assess the progress of the training program, at the discretion of the government, each host institution may be expected to participate in an on-site audit by the government or its designee. See the Program Announcement for the full Funding Opportunity Description.