Apply Now: Latino Cancer Research Training and Internships!

Exito Research Leadership Training Group Shot 2019 3

Apply now for the 2020 Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program and optional $3,250 internships from the Institute for health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio!

Each year, the Éxito! program recruits 25 U.S. master’s level students and professionals to participate in a five-day, culturally tailored Éxito! summer institute to promote pursuit of a doctoral degree and cancer research.

At the next Éxito! summer institute, set for June 1-5, 2020 in San Antonio, participants will interact with Latino researchers, mentors, and doctoral experts to learn about Latino cancer, succeeding in a doctoral program, and the diversity of careers in cancer research.

Ten optional internships also are available to program participants.

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. CST, Monday, March 2, 2020.

“We want participants to be empowered to achieve doctoral degrees, then go on and conduct research to understand Latino cancer and identify solutions and interventions to reduce cancer health disparities in this population,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Éxito!, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute, and based at UT Health San Antonio.

Why Éxito! Is Needed

Latinos earn just 3.9% of all science and engineering doctoral degrees conferred, according to the National Science Foundation.

Reports also show that Latinos are not proportionally represented in research, nursing, and doctoral fields.

Éxito! aims to increase that number.

Why Éxito! Works

Of 200 Éxito! trainees since 2011, about 30% have since enrolled in or graduated from a doctoral program.

The Éxito! summer institute significantly increased trainees’ confidence to apply to a doctoral program and academic self-efficacy, according to a recent study of Éxito! program results published in the Journal of Cancer Education. The study also found significant increased research skills among Éxito! interns.

In 2018, Éxito! was named an innovative “Program to Watch” in a report by Excelencia in Education, a national group that promotes Latinos in higher education. The group also includes Éxito! as part of its “Growing What Works Database.”

Excelencia also selected Éxito! as a finalist for its “Examples of Excelencia” award in 2018 and 2019.

What Éxito! Means to Trainees

Past Éxito! trainees say the program motivated and supported their pursuit of a doctorate.

“I had no one to talk with about the application process. Being a first-generation college graduate and master’s level graduate, I can’t get insight/guidance from family,” said Laura Rubalcava of San Antonio, a 2011 Éxito! trainee. “It’s been inspiring to see people just like me overcome barriers and become successful in their fields.”

Sara Rubio Correa, a native of Mexico and a 2019 Éxito! trainee, said the program elevated her to a new level.

Éxito! has instilled in me the self-confidence I needed to continue pursuing my goals, and has motivated me to be confident in myself and in my abilities. It picked me up when I felt like I was falling down,” Rubio Correa said.

“Being a part of this program has literally changed my life, my career, my mentality, my motivation, my personality, my attitude, and my goals.”

Applicants must: be a master’s-level health program student or master’s-trained health professional; have good academic standing; have strong verbal, written, interpersonal, and organizational skills; and not be current or accepted doctoral program students.

Go to www.exitotraining.org to apply.

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