Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug;5(2):10.15695/jstem/v5i2.12.
doi: 10.15695/jstem/v5i2.12. Epub 2023 Jan 23.

Approaches for Measuring Inclusive Demographics Across Youth Enjoy Science Cancer Research Training Programs

Megan A Mekinda  1 , Sunita Chaudhary  2 , Nathan L Vanderford  3 , Karen Burns White  4 , Linda S Kennedy  5 , Lisa K Marriott  6
Affiliations

Approaches for Measuring Inclusive Demographics Across Youth Enjoy Science Cancer Research Training Programs

Megan A Mekinda et al. J STEM Outreach. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Youth Enjoy Science Program (YES) funds initiatives to support the cancer research training and career ambitions of middle school through undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. The program has funded 16 institutions nationally as of January 2022. Given the program's focus on increasing diversity within the cancer research workforce, demographic characteristics of YES trainees provide essential information about the populations being served and program effectiveness. Six programs formed an interest group focused on trainee demographics and surveyed all YES grantees about their demographic data practices. Fifteen programs (94%) completed the survey. Survey data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and thematic coding. Findings revealed considerable variability in programs' approach to demographic data, including which demographics were measured, how they were operationalized, and when and how the data were collected. Half of YES programs (53%) could report underrepresented populations in biomedical research among trainees using consistent definitions. Most programs described efforts to improve their demographic data practices; however, challenges remained for the vast majority. In consideration of these findings, we offer recommendations for inclusive demographic data practices to better define and retain underrepresented populations in biomedical sciences.

Keywords: Biomedical Workforce Development; Health Inequities; High School; Historically Underrepresented; Undergraduate.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Americans with Disabilities Act. (2009). Title 42—The Public Health and Welfare, Chapter 126—Equal Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm
    1. Anderson LM, Butler A, and Woodworth K (2019). Implementation of the Title VI Indian Education Formula Grants Program: Volume II: Technical Appendices. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
    1. Aspinall PJ (2009). The future of ethnicity classifications. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 35(9), 1417–1435. doi: 10.1080/13691830903125901 - DOI
    1. Boekeloo BO, Jones C, Bhagat K, Siddiqui J, and Wang MQ (2015). The role of intrinsic motivation in the pursuit of health science-related careers among youth from underrepresented low socioeconomic populations. Journal of Urban Health, 92(5), 980–994. doi: 10.1007/s11524-015-9987-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Burns C (2013). FAFSA modernizes to recognize LGBTQ+ families. The Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fafsa-modernizes-to-recognize-l...

LinkOut - more resources