Cancer Prevention and Control (CAPAC) Research Training Program
Be part of CAPAC!
Apply before January 24, 2024
- Master’s level graduate students (from public health or biomedical sciences programs),*
- Health professional students (i.e. Medicine [MD], Dental Medicine [DMD], Pharmacy [Msc or PharmD], Nursing [MSN or DNP], etc.),* OR individuals who have recently graduated from any of these programs (within the last 12 months)
- ≥ 2.8 GPA
- Two letters of recommendation
- Research experience is preferred.
- Excellent written and communication skills in English.
- Basic knowledge of the Spanish language is recommended.
- U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident
- One-page essay on research interests and goals.
- November 1, 2024
Application Period Begins - January 24, 2025 (11:59 p.m. AST)
Application Deadline Ends (Final Deadline) - January 24, 2025 – March 7, 2025
Class of 2025 Selection Process - March 10, 2025
Applicants are informed of application status. - March 14, 2025
Deadline for selected students to confirm their space within CAPAC - May 27, 2025 – August 1, 2025
CAPAC Research Training Program (10 weeks) - May 27, 2025 – September 5, 2025
CAPAC Research Training Program (15 weeks)
- Successful Closing of the Scientific Research Training Program of the UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center (puertoricoposts.com)
- Successful Closure of the Scientific Research Training Program (magazine-pr.com)
- UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center Offers Training for the First Time, June 11, 2021 (magazine-pr.com)
- Press Release, October 15, 2019 (Spanish)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Wins Million-Dollar Training and Research Grant (WIPR)
- UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center Wins Million-Dollar Grant for Training and Research Program in Cancer Prevention and Control (victoria840.com)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Announces Call for Graduate Research Program
- Torres-Sanchez A, Torres G, Estrada S, Perez D, Garcia C, Milian M, Velazquez E, Molina V, Delgado Y. Unraveling the Impact of Six Pentacyclic Triterpenes Regulating Metabolic Pathways on Lung Carcinoma Cells. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024 May 28;17(6):694. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17060694.PMID:38931361
- Rivera-Gastón FA, Umpierre-Catinchi S, Ramos-Cartagena JM, Ortiz-Ortiz KJ, Torres-Cintrón CR, García-Camacho SI, Calo WA, Tortolero-Luna G, Martínez Ocasio LM, Ortiz AP. Treatment Interruptions and Mortality among Puerto Rican Women with Gynecologic Cancers in Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and María: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2024 May 21:1-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2024.108. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38770585.
- Julia I Medina, Ailed Cruz-Collazo, Maria del Mar Maldonado, Tatiana Matos Gascot, Luis D Borrero-Garcia, Mariana Cooke, Marcelo G Kazanietz, Eliud Hernandez O’Farril, Cornelis P Vlaar, Suranganie Dharmawardhane. Characterization of Novel Derivatives of MBQ-167, an inhibitor of the GTP-binding proteins Rac/Cdc42. Cancer Res Commun. 2022;2(12):1711-1726. doi: https://doi.org/10.1158/2767-9764.crc-22-030. PMCID: PMC9970268
- Hill K, Pérez CM, Pons-Calvo A, Canales-Birriel K, López-Cepero A, Solís-Torres N, Tamarit-Quevedo Z, Colón-López V.Compliance with Influenza Vaccination and Cervical, Breast, and Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Sample of Women in Puerto Rico: Community Engagement Efforts from PR-CEAL. P R Health Sci J. 2023 Dec;42(4):318-321.PMID: 38104289 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38104289/
- Butler-Fernández KM, Morales-Arocho L, Pedro-Gutiérrez E. Evaluation of the Timing of Opioid Administration: A Pilot Study. P R Health Sci J. 2023 Mar;42(1):77-80. PMID: 36941103. https://prhsj.rcm.upr.edu/index.php/prhsj/article/view/2855/1494
- Ramos-Cartagena JM, Keller K, Guiot HM, Muñoz C, Colón-López V, Deshmukh AA, Suárez EL, Tirado-Gómez M, Ortiz AP. Evaluating the performance of anal cytology and high-risk HPV genotyping for detecting anal HSIL in a clinic-based sample of people living with and without HIV in Puerto Rico. Cancer Cytopathol. 2023 Oct;131(10):655-664. doi: 10.1002/cncy.22738. Epub 2023 Jun 26. PMID: 37358055. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37358055/
- Keller, K., Ramos-Cartagena, J. M., Guiot, H. M., Muñoz, C., Rodríguez, Y., Colón-López, V., Deshmukh, A. A., Tirado-Gómez, M., & Ortiz, A. P. (2022). Association of smoking with anal high-risk HPV infection and histologically confirmed anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions among a clinic-based population in Puerto Rico. Cancer Treatment and Research Communications, 30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100503. PMCID: PMC9253704
- Medina, J. I., Cruz-Collazo, A., del Mar Maldonado, M., Matos Gascot, T., Borrero-Garcia, L. D., Cooke, M., Kazanietz, M. G., Hernandez O’farril, E., Vlaar, C. P., & Dharmawardhane, S. (n.d.). Characterization of Novel Derivatives of MBQ-167, an inhibitor of the GTP-binding proteins Rac/Cdc42. Cancer Research Communications (2022) 2 (12): 1711–1726. https://doi.org/10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-22-0303
- López-Cepero, A., Rodríguez, M., Joseph, V., Suglia, S. F., Colón-López, V., Toro-Garay, Y. G., Archevald-Cansobre, M. D., Fernández-Repollet, E., & Pérez, C. M. (2022). Religiosity and Beliefs toward COVID-19 Vaccination among Adults in Puerto Rico. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811729. PMCID: PMC9517592
- Rodriguez, M., López-Cepero, A., Ortiz-Martínez, A. P., Fernández-Repollet, E., & Pérez, C. M. (2021). Influence of health beliefs on covid-19 vaccination among individuals with cancer and other comorbidities in Puerto Rico. Vaccines, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9090994. PMCID: PMC8473277
- Soto-Salgado, M., Suárez, E., Viera-Rojas, T. D., Pericchi, L. R., Ramos-Cartagena, J. M., Deshmukh, A. A., Tirado-Gómez, M., & Ortiz, A. P. (2023). Development of a multivariable prediction model for anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in persons living with HIV in Puerto Rico: A cross-sectional study. Lancet Regional Health – Las Americas, 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100382
- Cruz, G., Ramos-Cartagena, J. M., Torres-Russe, JL., Colón-López, V., Ortiz-Ortiz, KJ., Pericchi, L, Deshmukh, AA., & Ortiz, AP. Barriers and facilitators to anal cancer screening among people living with HIV in Puerto Rico. BMC Public Health (2023) 23:1940. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16847-6
- Borrero-Garcia LD, Moró-Carrión M, Torres-Cintrón CR, Centeno-Girona H, Perez V, Santos-Colón T, González-Pons M. Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Incidence Trends Among Hispanics Living in Puerto Rico (2000-2021): A Comparison With Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database. Cancer Med. 2025 Apr;14(8):e70851. doi: 10.1002/cam4.70851.PMID: 40249262
- Suárez-Ramos T, Verganza S, Pagán-Santana Y, Castañeda-Avila MA, Torres-Cintrón CR, Santiago-Rodríguez EJ, Ortiz-Ortiz KJ. Evaluating the impact of hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer incidence in Puerto Rico: An interrupted time-series analysis. Cancer. 2025 Apr 15;131(8):e35793. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35793.PMID: 40223414
- Soto-Salgado M, Ramos-Sepúlveda M, Ramos-Cartagena JM, Tirado-Gómez M, Guiot HM, Muñoz-Masso C, González-Sepúlveda L, Ortiz AP. Disparities in the uptake of HPV-related cancer prevention strategies among women by HIV status in Puerto Rico. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2025 Feb 3;57:101687. doi: 10.1016/j.gore.2025.101687. eCollection 2025 Feb.PMID: 40008257
Note: CAPAC trainee is underlined.
About Us
The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Training Program (CAPAC) of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC) aims to increase the pool of master’s graduates and other health professionals who wish to pursue a doctorate and/or a career in cancer prevention and control research with a focus on Hispanic health and health disparities. The long-term goal of this program is to contribute to the development of the next generation of successful cancer control researchers with a cultural sensitivity toward the Hispanic population.
The program will recruit participants from all racial/ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds to participate in a hands-on research experience in a Hispanic cultural and population setting. Participants will be matched with a mentor based on their interest in basic, clinical, and population-based research.
The overall goal of REPMIC is to prepare participants with the tools necessary to successfully pursue research careers (in doctoral programs and/or a professional career in the health field [e.g., Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine, or Nursing, among others]) with a focus on the relationship between microbes, infections, and cancer. REPMIC will contribute to the development of the next generation of cancer and infectious disease researchers, and to the diversification of the biomedical and public health research workforce.
The program will recruit and train recent bachelor’s degree graduates from underrepresented minority groups who are interested in pursuing careers in research, to understand, treat, and prevent infectious diseases and cancers associated with infectious agents, and to participate in practical research experiences in the field of microbes, infections, and cancer. Ten (10) participants will be selected and matched with a mentor based on their research interests in the areas of basic sciences, clinical/translational sciences, or population sciences. This research experience is face-to-face, full-time (37.5 hours per week) and lasts 37 weeks. In addition, complementary activities will be offered for the educational and professional development of the participants. The official languages of the program will be Spanish and English.
Our Team
Dr. Ana Patricia Ortíz
Program Director ana.ortiz7@upr.edu
787-772-8300 ext. 1204
Dr. Marievelisse Soto Salgado
Associate Director marievelisse.soto1@upr.edu
787-772-8300 ext. 1121
Nadia Centeno Alvarado, MPHE, MPH
CAPAC Coordinator capac@cccupr.org
787-772-8300 ext. 1421
Mentors
Ana Patricia Ortiz, Ph.D., MPH
Marievelisse Soto-Salgado, DrPH, MS
Josué Pérez-Santiago, Ph.D.
María del Mar González-Pons, Ph.D.
Elba V. Caraballo PhD, MSc
Carlos J. Díaz Osterman, Ph.D.
Héctor L. Franco, BS, PhD
Kevin M. Alicea-Torres, PhD
Nancy R. Cardona-Cordero, DrPH, MS
Axel Gierbolini-Bermúdez, BBA, MA, DrPH
Karen J. Ortiz-Ortiz, MA, MPH, DrPH
Carola T. Sánchez Díaz, PhD
Pablo E. Vivas-Mejia, Ph.D.
Josefina Romaguera, MD, MPH
Abel Baerga Ortiz, Ph.D.
Carlos A. Torres-Ramos, Ph.D.
Suranganie Dharmawardhane Flanagan, Ph.D.
Magaly Martinez-Ferrer, PhD
Stephanie M. Dorta Estremera, Ph.D
Elsa Pedro-Gutiérrez, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP
Eliud Hernández-O’Farrill, PhD
Abiel Roche-Lima, MSc, PhD
Pablo A. Méndez Lázaro, Ph.D.
Ana Cecilia Sala, PsyD, MSc.
Esther A Peterson Peguero, PhD
Yamixa Delgado, PhD
Financing
The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Training Program (CAPAC) is led by Dr. Ana Patricia Ortiz and Dr. Marievelisse Soto of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC), San Juan, Puerto Rico, with support from a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant (2R25CA240120-06).
© Copyright 2016 – 2023
Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer Universidad de Puerto Rico.
All Rights Reserved
787-772-8300 Ext. 1421, 1121, 1204
capac@cccupr.org