Preparing historically underrepresented trainees for biomedical cancer research careers at Huntsman Cancer Institute/University of Utah Health

Figures & data

Table 1. PathMaker curricular components

Goal	Method	Outcomes
Increase awareness, knowledge, and interest in pursuing education towards a career in biomed ca research	ResearchExperiences: Basic sciences Clinical sciences Population sciences	Program satisfaction High school completion Undergraduate acceptance Undergraduate retention and completion Academic accomplishments Pursuit of a biomedical cancer research career
Increase the capacity of trainees underrepresented in biomedical cancer research	Developmental Experiences: Academic and professional success Cultural and social support Evolutionary success strategies Active mentorship Leadership skill development

Table 2. PathMaker program activities

Week 1–2	Week 3	Week 4–12
InitialEngagement	Preparing for Research Exp	Research Experience	Developmental Experiences
			Increase Awareness	Increase Capacity
Pre-arrival Preparation-Virtual: f HIPAA Training CITI Training	Welcome Reception Research Placement Orientation Lab Safety Intensive Training Pop Sci 101 Training	Individual Mentored Research Experience with Weekly Lab Meetings and Mentor Meetings Cancer Prevention and Screening Education Poster Preparation Summer Research Symposium Closing Honoring Ceremony and Reception: for Trainees, Families, Mentors	Graduate School Expo Biomedical Research Career Seminar Health Science Graduate Student Panel Health Science Professional Panel Financial Skills and Support Financial Literacy Competency Medical Simulation Lab Tour College 101 Workshop Professional Development Expo: breakout sessions included, How to Write a Personal Statement, Boosting your Resume/CV, How to Fund Your Education, Impostor Syndrome: Creating Strong Identities, and Interviewing Skills.	How to Read a Research Article Writing an Abstract Literature Reviews Creating Effective Research Posters, Navigating Discrimination Bystander Education Diversity Workshop Mindfulness Growth Mindset Mental Health Awareness Reflection as Part of Research Career Skills Mentoring Workshops ProfessionalCommunication Mentorship Panel: Meet the PI

Table 3. Matriculants

	Summer 2016		Spring 2017		Summer 2017		Summer 2018		Summer 2019		Total
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
AA or Black	2	25	1	20	0	0	2	15	2	20	7	16
AI/AN	0	0	1	20	0	0	1	8	0	0	2	5
Asian	3	38	0	0	4	57	3	23	3	30	13	30
White, Non-Latinx	1	13	0	0	0	0	1	8	0	0	2	5
Latinx	2	25	3	60	3	43	6	46	5	50	19	44
Female	6	75	3	60	5	71	10	77	5	50	29	67
Male	2	25	2	40	2	29	3	23	5	50	14	33
Gender Non-conforming	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
First Generation	5	63	5	100	6	86	10	76	8	80	34	79
Low SES	4	50	2	40	2	29	4	31	4	40	16	37
Rural	1	13	2	40	1	14	3	23	1	10	8	19
Refugee	3	30	0	0	2	20	1	10	4	40	10	23
Disability	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	0	0	1	2
Average High School GPA^a	3.67		3.44^b		3.58		3.73		3.72		3.63
High	3.96		3.96		4.00		4.00		3.94		3.97
Low	3.30		3.00		2.80		3.20		3.36		3.13
High School Senior	5		0		4		8		5		22
Freshman, Undergraduate	3		2		2		4		3		14
Sophomore, Undergraduate	0		1		1		1		1		4
Junior, Undergraduate	0		1		0		0		0		1
Senior, Undergraduate	0		2		0		0		0		2
Matriculants by Cohort	8		5		7		13		10		43
Total # of Applicants	17		11		32		29		79		168
Acceptance Rate	47%		45%		22%		45%		13%		26%

^aAverage HS GPA: admitted students UU: 3.5 [26].

^bCollege GPA: all entrants were college students.

Table 4. Demographics: University of Utah trainees and PathMaker trainees at the UU

	U OF U		PathMaker Trainees		% Increase
	N	%	N	%
Asian	2559	6	10	32	533
Black or African American	506	1	5	16	1600
White, Non-Latinx	29,319	72	2	6	−92
International	1653	4	NA	NA	NA
Latinx	4130	10	12	39	390
Multiple Race/Ethnicity	1436	4	0	0	NA
American Indian/Alaska Native	197	0	2	6	600
Pacific Islander	246	1	0	0	−100
Unknown	734	2	0	0	NA
Female	20,113	49	22	71	144
Male	20,667	51	9	29	−43
Total	40,780		31

Table 5. Undergraduate field of study for PathMaker alumni

Major	Overall		U U
	N	% (n = 43)	N	% (n = 33)
Athletic Therapy	1	2	0	0
Biology	13	30	11	26
Honors Biology	2	5	2	5
BS/MD Biochem/Molecular Biology	1	2	0	0
Chemical Engineering	1	2	1	2
Chemistry	1	2	1	2
Computer Science	2	5	1	2
Kinesiology	3	7	3	7
Mechanical Engineering	1	2	1	2
Neuroscience	1	2	0	0
Nursing	1	2	1	2
Physics	1	2	0	0
Pre-Med	3	7	3	7
Psychology	1	2	0	0
Recreational Therapy	1	2	1	2
Undecided, Undeclared, or Unknown	4	9	2	9
Non-STEM-related majors	6	14	6	14
Total	43		33

Table 6. Themes identified from the qualitative analysis

Theme	Coding Frequency (% of the data)
Opening Eyes to Research	25.9
Exploring Interests to Find Direction	23.3
Discovering Career Opportunities	19.8
Building Confidence and Character	19.0
Making Connections	12.1

Utah Admission Requirements. collegesimply.com. cited 2020 Nov 23. https://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/utah/university-of-utah/admission/

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