PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRCT: OVERALLThe Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) is uniquely positioned to address cancerhealth inequities in Native American communities. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for NativeAmericans over the age of 45 years. Despite improvements in cancer screening techniques and majordevelopments in cancer treatment in past decades tribal communities have not benefited equally from theseadvances. Further the NIH recognizes that Native Americans have the lowest representation of allunderrepresented groups in the biomedical research workforce which contributes to the overall cancer healthinequities for this population. NACP began in 2002 as a partnership between Northern Arizona University(NAU) as the institution serving underserved health disparity populations and underrepresented students andthe University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) as the Comprehensive Cancer Center. The overarchinggoals of NACP are to increase NAU's cancer research and UACC's cancer health disparities capacities byhonoring existing and establishing new Native American community partnerships. To meet these goals thefollowing aims are proposed: Aim 1. Conduct Pilot Research Projects and Full Research Projects whichaddress Native American cancer disparities and reflect community concerns; Aim 2. Recruit and supportNative American faculty focused on cancer research; Aim 3. Create a new shared resource called GuidingU54 Investigator Development to Sustainability (GUIDeS) with the goal to facilitate the transition of NACP-affiliated Early Stage Investigators/Junior Investigators to research independence; Aim 4. Expand andimplement cancer disparities research education with a focus on Native American students across NAU/UAundergraduate and graduate programs; Aim 5. Integrate community engagement principles into all NACPactivities facilitating dissemination of the Partnership's research findings and the National Outreach Network'sinitiatives to Native American communities. To achieve these Aims two Full and one Pilot project areproposed; two have Native American co-leaders. One of the Full projects and the Pilot project combine basicscience and community engaged research to address gastric and cervical cancer; death rates for thesecancers are higher in Native American populations. We propose Administrative Planning and EvaluationResearch Education Outreach and GUIDeS Cores to support the research projects and integrate activitiesacross the Partnership. NAU and UACC commit institutional funds to support new projects and NativeAmerican investigators. New priorities in this proposal are community engaged research that will impact cancerscreening rates recruitment and mentoring of Native American early stage investigators grant writing activitiesto sustain Native American-focused cancer disparities research and initiatives and joint research educationcurricula to develop a stronger Native American biomedical workforce. By the end of the proposed fundingperiod NACP will move Native Americans in Arizona closer to cancer health equity.