NEW YORK, February 25, 2009 — The National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded The City College of New York (CCNY) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) a $15.9 million grant to implement a unique partnership in cancer research, education, and outreach. The five-year, renewable award is funded by NCI's U54 program, an initiative created to develop partnerships between minority-serving institutions and NCI-designated cancer centers.
The Partnership for Cancer Research, Training, and Community Outreach will build upon a previous collaboration between the institutions. The grant will help support key research activities that provide a multidisciplinary, but unified approach to several objectives set forth by MSKCC and CCNY.
"We are looking forward to partnering with CCNY to improve cancer research, training, education, and outreach for underserved communities in the New York area," said Dr. Tim A. Ahles, Director of MSKCC's Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, and U54 Co-Principal Investigator. "We also want to have these successful approaches to address cancer disparities serve as new models for other minority-serving institutions and NCI-designated cancer centers."
"By combining our talents and some of our resources, CCNY and Memorial Sloan-Kettering will be well equipped to build and nurture programs in areas such as cancer research and community outreach that will help address cancer disparities in underserved minority and economically disadvantaged communities," said Dr. Karen Hubbard, Professor of Biology at CCNY, and U54 Co-Principal Investigator.
The Partnership for Cancer Research, Training, and Community Outreach includes four primary objectives:
About The City College of New York
For more than 160 years, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. Over 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; The School of Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture (SAUDLA); The School of Education; The Grove School of Engineering; and The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. For additional information, visit www.ccny.cuny.edu .
About Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is the world's oldest and largest private institution devoted to prevention, patient care, research, and education in cancer. Our scientists and clinicians generate innovative approaches to better understand, diagnose, and treat cancer. Our specialists are leaders in biomedical research and in translating the latest research to advance the standard of cancer care worldwide. For more information, go to www.mskcc.org.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering contact:
Courtney DeNicola, 212-639-3573, mediastaff@mskcc.org