University of Guam Dedicates Cancer Center
(Fall 2004)

The University of Guam (UOG) held a dedication ceremony on May 19, 2004 to commemorate the grand opening of its new Cancer Research Center facility. The new Cancer Research Center represents the UOG’s commitment to study cancer rates in minorities and develop ways to prevent cancer. Dr. Carl-Wilhelm Vogel, Director of the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i (CRCH), was among those in attendance for this momentous event.

Jennifer Cruz, Yvette Cepeda Paulino and Elaine Pablo were recognized at the ceremony as being the first wave of recipients of $8,000-a-year grant awards to pursue their master’s degrees and ultimately contribute to the field of cancer research. These students will be working at the Cancer Research Center and will focus on finding ways to prevent cancer.

In 2003, the University of Guam and the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i formed a partnership that received a 3.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). For a period of five years, the causes of cancer disparities among Pacific Islanders and their impact on island residents will be studied. The UOG/CRCH partnership is part of the NCI Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership program, whereby NCI-designated cancer centers, such as the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i, are encouraged to collaborate with a minority institution to help that institution develop its own research infrastructure and expertise as well as to train its students to become future researchers. Twenty-eight such partnerships are being funded through this program.

The overall rationale for this partnership is to develop joint program in cancer research, training, and outreach for the mutual benefit of both partners. The long-range plan involves utilizing the expertise of the CRCH to develop the infrastructure and research capabilities of faculty at the UOG to ultimately reduce the burden of cancer in the Territory of Guam and surrounding Pacific Island communities.

As an integral part of the UOG/CRCH partnership, a number of pilot studies are being considered for initiation and implementation. The first pilot program to be initiated will be the identification of students for graduate training at both partner institutions, as well as the identification of the first UOG faculty members to work on a research project for three months in the summer at the CRCH. Another proposed pilot study will be a joint project to assess the dietary intake of Guam residents and the development of a culturally appropriate questionnaire for such an assessment.