American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society and four Historically Black Colleges and Universities Announce Groundbreaking Diversity in Cancer Research Program to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Unique Program Will Create A More Inclusive Cancer Research Environment, Help Address Health Disparities
Atlanta-September 22, 2021 - The American Cancer Society (ACS), along with four historically black medical schools including Charles Drew Medical School, Howard University, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine, today announced a groundbreaking Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Program to help improved diversity, equity and inclusion in the cancer research field. The inaugural initiatives of the overarching program include DICR Institutional Development Grants. The four HBCU’s have received DICR grants in a pilot program for 2021-2022.
The awards provided through the DICR program are unique in cancer research. They provide a large amount of salary support for the four colleges to select clinical faculty who need more dedicated time for their cancer research and scholarly activities. They also fund other student and postdoctoral program and underpin the awards with career development funds and mentorship by established American Cancer Society Professors. The grants will build sustainability for both clinical and scientific cancer-focused careers, launching or sustaining the careers of 104 individuals by 2025.
The impactful program will create a more inclusive research environment to address health disparities more effectively and could lead to targeted recruitment efforts focused on bringing people of color into clinical research protocols. Establishing a research community that is made up of a diverse group of people is vital to ensuring scientific excellence.
American Cancer Society Awardees
American Cancer Society Subaward Requirements
Subaward Grant Mechanisms |
Requirements |
Undergraduate Training Program |
The ACS DICR Training Center recruits young adults who are part of populations that have been established as underrepresented in the health-related science workforce in the United States. |
Pilot Grants |
Applicants must be full-time faculty within the first 6-years of initial appointment who have not yet obtained R-level funding. |
Clinician Scientist Development Grants |
Applicants must be early career clinical scientists (Instructor or Assistant Professor) within the initial 6 years of a faculty appointment with a clinical license and has a role in clinical care. |
Post-doctoral Fellows |
Researchers who are US citizens or permanent residents and within three years of receiving a doctoral degree. |
Masters Scholars |
Students must be enrolled in a master program with an interest in Cancer Control and Prevention or cancer research. |
Award Amount and Term
Subaward Grant Mechanisms |
Requirements |
Undergraduate Training Program (Summer Program) |
$500 per week for 1 year = $5000 |
Pilot Grants (16) |
$30,000; 4 grant/years x 4 years = $ 480,000 |
Clinician Scientist Development Grants (2) |
$600,000 x 2 clinicians over 4 years = $1,200,000 |
Post-Doctoral Fellowships (2) |
$175,500 x 2 post-docs over 3 years = $351,000 |
Masters Scholars (6) |
$25,000/year x 2 MS x 2 years; 3 MS cohorts: $300,000 |
Summary of Research Subawards
Master Scholars
Nolan Stubbs, Medical Student
Morehouse School of Medicine
Research: Glioblastoma (brain cancer) cell lines and different therapeutics to uncover different
treatment paradigms
Gabrielle Ford, Master of Public Health, Student
Morehouse School of Medicine
Research: Evaluating the Efficacy of Stress and Anxiety Interventions Associated with the Reduced
Risk of Breast and Endometrial Cancer Recurrence in African American Women
Zakira Abdul-Hameed, Master of Public Health, Student
Morehouse School of Medicine
Research: The role of culture in cancer nutritional information for Black women
Undergraduate Training Program
Brittany Jones, Student
Georgia College & State University
Research: Prostate Cancer
Christina Hughes, Student
Georgia College & State University
Research: Prostate Cancer Among African American Men
Justine Savizon, Student
Georgia College & State University
Research: Factors Influencing Health Outcomes in African American Women
Jasmine Harrison, Student
Georgia College & State University
Research: Racial and Geographic Disparities in Past Treatment Complication among Black Breast
Cancer Survivors
Pilot Grants
Shaneeta M. Johnson, MD, MBA, FACS
Sasha Corbin, MD
Department of Surgery/Morehouse School of Medicine
Pilot Grant: Disparities In Colon Cancer Amongst African Descendants: A Retrospective Observational Pilot Study comparing African Americans and Afro-Caribbean Persons
Desiree A. Rivers, PhD, MSPH
Robina Josiah Willock, PhD, MPH
Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine/Morehouse School of Medicine
Pilot Grant: Bridges to Cancer Health Equity Navigator Training
Desiree A. Rivers, PhD, MSPH
Associate Professor
Community Health and Preventive Medicine
Research Scholars Grant: Using a plant-based diet and exercise to improve outcome in AA postmenopausal breast
and endometrial cancer survivors.
Rajesh Singh, PhD
Associate Professor
Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology
Research Scholars Grant: Social and molecular determinants of liver cancer disparities
Clinician Scientist Development Grants
Regina Leonis, MD
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Morehouse School of Medicine
Clinician Scientist Development Grant: Molecular Classification of Endometrial Cancer and Clinical Outcomes in African American women (under review)
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Victoria Churchill, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow: Health Communication
Georgia State University
Post-Doctoral Candidate: Tobacco Research/Health Communication (In progress)