Educating the Next Generation of Undergraduate URM Cancer Scientists: Results and Lessons Learned from a Cancer Research Partnership Scholar Program.

To improve cancer disparities among under-represented minority (URM) populations, better representation of URM individuals in cancer research is needed. The San Diego State University and University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center Partnership is addressing cancer disparities through an educational program targeting undergraduate URM students. The Partnership provides a paid intensive summer research internship enriched with year-round activities that include educational sessions, a journal club, mentorship, social activities, and poster sessions and presentations. Program evaluation through follow-up surveys, focus groups, and other formal and informal feedback, including advisory and program steering committees, are used to improve the program. Long-term follow-up among scholars (minimum of 10 years) provides data to evaluate the program's long-term impact on scholars' education and career path. Since 2016, 63 URM undergraduate students participated in the scholar program. At the year-2 follow-up (2016 cohort; n = 12), 50% had completed their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and/or applied to graduate or medical school. Lessons learned during the course of the program led to implementation of changes to provide a better learning experience and increase overall program satisfaction. Updates were made to recruitment timeline, improvements of the recruitment processes, refinement of the program contracts and onboarding meetings, identification of essential program coordinator skills and responsibilities, adjustments to program components, and establishment of a well-mapped and scheduled evaluation plan. The Partnership identified best practices and lessons learned for implementing lab-based internship scholar programs in biomedical and public health fields that could be considered in other programs.

The Partner Relay Communication Network: Sharing Information During Emergencies with Limited English Proficient Populations.

Sharing information with people with limited English proficiency is a universal challenge. The County of San Diego has a diverse population and, as a result, language and access barriers present serious risks when communicating disaster and public health emergency information. In support of the "Live Well San Diego" vision of a county that is healthy, safe, and thriving, the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services and Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Services, worked to design a community-based program to address this critical issue. Program development included a literature review of existing strategies as well as gathering community input. Documented promising practices included: (1) community engagement during planning, design, and implementation of communication plans to create buy-in and a sense of ownership; (2) dissemination of translated messages; and (3) communication through culturally appropriate and trusted channels, including individuals, community groups, and organizations. Using a systematic approach, the program engaged leaders and community representatives of the top 6 languages spoken in San Diego (following English)-Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, and Vietnamese-and 2 recently arrived refugee groups, Karen and Somali. Community input was gathered through focus groups, feedback sessions, training sessions, and drills. The community's recommendations mirrored the existing promising practices, and a program strategy was adopted.