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A Qualitative Study of Participant Perceptions of a Cancer Research Education Program

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Abstract

Kentucky ranks first in the nation in cancer incidence and mortality rates, with the greatest burden of disease being in the Appalachian region. The cancer disparities in the Appalachian region of the state are tied to high poverty rates, low education attainment, low health care access, and high rates of poor health behaviors, such as tobacco use. The University of Kentucky (UK) Markey Cancer Center (MCC) developed the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program to address the cancer and education disparities in the region. ACTION is a two-year program that focuses on cancer education and training for high school and undergraduate students from Appalachian Kentucky and features a variety of cancer-focused training activities, including faculty-mentored cancer research, clinical shadowing opportunities, cancer education activities, career development support, and community outreach projects. ACTION has been funded by the National Cancer Institute as a Youth Enjoy Science R25 research education program since 2018. The qualitative study herein used a semi-structured interview approach to identify participants’ perceptions of the program including the influential aspects that have helped students pursue their desired academic career paths. Ten ACTION alumni were chosen to participate in the study, including students currently in medical school, graduate school, physician assistant school, and pharmacy school. Thematic analysis generated five themes: motivation for participation, career development, mentorship and future opportunities, knowledge gained, and program improvements. Overall, this study demonstrates that the ACTION program is having a significant impact on students’ career preparation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Markey Cancer Center’s Research Communications Office for providing editorial assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by the University of Kentucky’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program [NCI R25 CA221765] and the Markey Cancer Center’s Cancer Center Support Grant [NCI P30 CA177558].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Olivia Allran

  2. Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Olivia Allran & Nathan L. Vanderford

  3. College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Nathan L. Vanderford

  4. Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street, H164, Lexington, KY, 40536-0096, USA

    Nathan L. Vanderford

Authors
  1. Olivia Allran
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Contributions

Study conceptualization and design, N.L.V.; material preparation, data collection and analysis, O.A. and N.L.V.; writing—original draft preparation, O.A. and N.L.V.; writing—review and editing, O.A. and N.L.V. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nathan L. Vanderford.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Allran, O., Vanderford, N.L. A Qualitative Study of Participant Perceptions of a Cancer Research Education Program. J Canc Educ 38, 1853–1860 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-023-02341-5

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