Increasing evidence reveals that diversity and inclusion have substantial benefits on workforce productivity and innovation. Diverse teams improve group decision-making, have greater financial returns, and are more innovative than non-diverse teams. Yet, despite the importance of diversity in improved team performance, under-represented minorities account for only 18% of STEM college graduates and only 12% of STEM doctoral degree recipients. Indeed, recent conversations about adverse outcomes for Black Americans across all aspects of life—health, life expectancy, education, employment, justice system, to name a few—have highlighted the insidious nature of structural racism. For instance, data from the National Institutes of Health shows that Black applicants were 10 percentage points less likely to be awarded research grants, after adjusting for education, training, employer characteristics, publication record, and prior awards. In addition, in 2019, less than 6% of all full-time faculty members at universities are Black. Clearly, there is a broken pipeline—too few Black and under-represented minority PhDs and MDs, and a lack of mentorship for career development for students entering graduate or medical school.
This lack of representation is a major barrier to enhancing the diversity of the cancer research workforce and creating effective interventions to address cancer health disparities. To help overcome this barrier, Duke Cancer Institute members, Drs. Tomi Akinyemiju and Meira Epplein, of the Duke Department of Population Health Sciences, and Dr. Jason Somarelli, of the Duke Department of Medicine, will lead a new program titled, DIRECT: Diversifying Research and Experiential Learning in Cancer Training. The DIRECT program is a 12-month applied minority training program for recent college and university graduates interested in cancer research. The program will focus on skill development in the following key areas: 1) mentored research, 2) professional development, and 3) science communication. This program hopes to have a positive societal benefit of significantly improving the pipeline of minority students conducting research and pursuing careers or graduate studies focused on cancer. By focusing on key thematic and methodological training coupled with intensive mentoring and practical support, the team will address the major challenges faced by many minority students, ensuring that the next generation of cancer researchers are diverse. This diversity can help drive innovation in reducing the burden of cancer and eliminating cancer health disparities. The three faculty will also collaborate with other institutions to scale the program and multiply its effect.