CHERP – Pilot Research Projects The California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and University of California, Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCI-CFCCC) are pleased to announce the 2022-23 Cancer Health Disparities Research Program (CHERP) Pilot Projects 2022-23 funding round. Home CHERP – Pilot Research Projects CSUF/UCI-CFCCC Cancer Health Disparities Research Program (CHERP) 2023 CSUF-UCI Collaborative Pilot Research Projects The California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and University of California, Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCI-CFCCC) are pleased to announce an upcoming funding opportunity for pilot projects within the newly established Cancer Health Disparities Research Program (CHERP). CSUF-UCI inter-institutional collaborative research is an essential component of a successful application, so a collaboration forum will be held to facilitate these partnerships. Key Dates & Funding Information Key Dates (Subject to Change) Planned release of RFA: September 2022 Collaboration forum: October 2022 Application due date: December 2022 Selection date: January 2023 Funding Information $100,000 direct cost for 1 year Notice of Intent to Publish Background Cancer is the second cause of death overall with certain cancers showing disparate incidence and mortality patterns among specific groups. Despite decades of focused research and training efforts in cancer control, persistent health disparities remain for ethnic/racial populations, people with disabilities, those who live in rural areas, and/or who have lower education and economic resources. Currently, the health disparities workforce does not reflect the needed diversity in the United States and there are still critical gaps to address when it comes to accessing quality education and training to support the development of talented students/early career investigators in this field. CSUF is an academic institution serving underserved populations and underrepresented students (ISUPS), and the UCI-CFCCC is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at UC Irvine. CHERP is a collaborative cancer-specific partnership between these two institutions that aim to support highly interactive pilot cancer health disparities research that will not only advance cancer health disparities knowledge, but also serve as foundational training in this area of need for underrepresented undergraduate (CSUF) and master’s level (CSUF/UCI) students. Definitions Disparity research: Cancer health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups. These population groups may be characterized by gender, age, race, ethnicity, education, income, social class, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation. Under-represented student categories: Race/ethnicity: Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, or other groups that can be demonstrated as underrepresented by the grantee institution Disability And/or from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as below established low-income thresholds Research Scope CHERP priority areas of interest: Cancer risk factor reduction (e.g., tobacco, obesity) Cancer screening Cancer epidemiology (including epigenetics) Cancer survivorship CHERP will prioritize pilot projects that address disparity needs in the catchment area of Orange County. Topics can be in any area of cancer-related basic clinical, translational, prevention, control, behavioral and/or population research. Pilot projects must be highly interactive and involve at least one principal investigator from CSUF and UCI. Projects that can generate critical preliminary data for a planned submission/resubmission of a peer-reviewed extramural NIH/CI or similar grant proposal will be considered, with special consideration given to applications supporting resubmissions that generate new data in response to prior critiques. A collaboration strategy and mentoring/training plan for early-stage investigators (if applicable) and under-represented students from each institution must be clearly described in the application. Eligibility All UC Irvine and CSUF faculty members are eligible to apply. An investigator from CSUF must partner with an investigator from UCI. The awarded UCI PI must join CFCCC membership prior to the project’s launch. A collaboration between junior faculty and senior faculty co-leaders is not required but highly encouraged to provide mentorship opportunity. Though not required, it is also strongly encouraged that minority investigators from both institutions apply. Collaboration Forums An informational session and collaboration forum for interested CSUF and UCI PIs are planned in October 2022. The collaboration forum will consist of plenary speakers and small round table breakout sessions to promote networking and idea generation. Please complete the interest survey by July 1, 2022 to help us learn more about your research interests and facilitate the matching process. If you have any questions about this upcoming opportunity, please contact Dr. Sora Tanjasiri (UCI) tanjasir@uci.edu and Dr. Marcelo Tolmasky (CSUF) mtolmasky@fullerton.edu. Please Complete the Interest Survey