Cancer Prevention and Control (CAPAC) Research Training Program

Application Deadline: January 24, 2025 (11:59 pm AST)

Program Overview

Research being performed in Puerto Rico provides an opportunity to advance knowledge of cancer risk, and cancer prevention and control among Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations in the United States (US).

The Cancer Prevention and Control (CAPAC) Research Training Program at the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC) aims to increase the pool of master’s degree graduates and other health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and/or a career in cancer prevention and control research with a focus on Hispanic health and health disparities. The long-term goal of this Program is to contribute to the development of the next generation of successful cancer control researchers with a cultural sensitivity to the Hispanic population.

The program will recruit participants from all racial/ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds to participate in a hands-on research experience in a Hispanic population and cultural environment. Participants will be matched to a mentor based on their research interest in basic, clinical, and population-based research.

Overall, 25 participants (23 new trainees and 2 alumni) will be recruited every year to the program. This 10-week full-time research experience will be scheduled for every summer; activities will include their participation in a research project and complementary educational and professional skill building activities. Upon application and evaluation of the request, the program will support 6 trainees to extend their research experience for up to 15 weeks. While the official languages of Puerto Rico and of the CAPAC Research Training program are English and Spanish, Spanish is a dominant language in work and community settings locally. Thus, while proficiency in the Spanish language is not a program requisite, reading, writing and speaking Spanish is a plus and may be required for some research activities.

Timeline

Requirements For Applicants

Successful applicants must comply with the following requirements:

• Master level graduate students (from public health or biomedical sciences programs),* Health professional students (i.e. Medicine [MD], Dental Medicine [DMD], Pharmacy [Msc or PharmD], Nursing [MSN or DNP], etc.),* OR persons that have recently graduated from any of these programs (within the past 12 months)
• ≥ 2.8 grade point average
• Two letters of recommendation
• Research experience preferred
• Excellent written and communication skills in English
• Basic knowledge of Spanish language is highly recommended
• US citizen or US permanent resident
• One page essay of research interests and goals
  
  

*Students must have completed 1st year of graduate studies by the start of the CAPAC program. Current doctoral students (for example, PhD or DrPH) or those already accepted into doctoral programs (for example, PhD or DrPH) will not be eligible.

Application Deadline: January 24, 2025 (11:59 pm AST)

Apply to the 2025 CAPAC Research Training Program by clicking the “CAPAC Information and Application” button below. Applications will be submitted electronically. Faxed/mailed application will not be accepted

For more information, contact CAPAC staff members

News and Publications

• Exitosa Clausura del Programa de Entrenamiento de Investigación Científica del Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer UPR (puertoricoposts.com)
  
  
• Exitosa Clausura del Programa de Entrenamiento de Investigación Científica (magazine-pr.com)
  
  
• El Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer UPR ofrece por primera vez entrenamiento, June 11, 2021 (magazine-pr.com)
  
  
• Press Release, October 15, 2019 (Spanish)
  
  
• Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer logra millonaria subvención para entrenamiento e investigación (WIPR)
  
  
• Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer UPR logra millonaria subvención para programa de entrenamiento e investigación en prevención y control de cáncer (victoria840.com)
  
  
• Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer anuncia convocatoria a programa de investigación para estudiantes graduados

Funding

Cancer Prevention and Control Research Training Program (CAPAC) is led by Dr. Ana Patricia Ortiz and Dr. Marievelisse Soto, of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC), San Juan, Puerto Rico, with support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant (2R25CA240120-06).