Cancer Prevention and Control (CAPAC) Research Training Program
Be part of CAPAC!
Apply before January 22, 2027
Everything you need to know to apply: program details, eligibility, and key dates
Learning and mentoring community
University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ana Patricia Ortiz, Ph.D., MPH
Marievelisse Soto-Salgado, DrPH, MS
María del Mar González-Pons, Ph.D.
Elba V. Caraballo PhD, MSc
Héctor L. Franco, BS, PhD
Axel Gierbolini-Bermúdez, BBA, MA, DrPH
Karen J. Ortiz-Ortiz, MA, MPH, DrPH
Ana C. Sala Morales, PsyD, MSc
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus
Pablo E. Vivas-Mejia, Ph.D.
Josefina Romaguera, MD, MPH
Abel Baerga Ortiz, Ph.D.
Elsa Pedro Gutiérrez, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP
Suranganie Dharmawardhane Flanagan, Ph.D.
Magaly Martinez-Ferrer, PhD
Eliud Hernández-O’Farrill, PhD
Sherily Pereira-Morales, PhD, RNA, FAAN
Cynthia M. Pérez, Ph.D.
University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus
Esther A Peterson Peguero, PhD
Universidad Central del Caribe
Ponce Health Sciences University
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine
Yamixa Delgado, PhD
UPR Humacao
Kevin M. Alicea-Torres, PhD
Carlos Albizu University
Ruthmarie Hernandez Torres PhD
Tariz Viera
CAPAC Trainee 2021Ph.D. Student in Epidemiology, Brown University
Yilda Macías
CAPAC Trainee 2022Ph.D. Student in Epidemiology, University of Washington
Ileanexis Madera
CAPAC Trainee 2022Ph.D. Student in Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan
Mikaela Ríos
CAPAC Trainee 2023Ph.D. Student in Biochemistry,University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus
Frances M. Aponte
CAPAC Trainee 2022DrPH in Environmental Health, UPR-RCM
Riseilly Ramos
CAPAC Trainee 2024PhD in Microbiology and Medical Zoology, UPR-RCM
Jimena Álvarez
CAPAC Trainee 2023DrPH in Environmental Health, UPR-RCM
Anelisse Dominicci
CAPAC Trainee 2023PhD in Microbiology
Nachalie Ramos
CAPAC Trainee 2024DrPH in Environmental Health
Kandyce Keller
CAPAC Trainee 2021PhD in Clinical and Translational Epidemiology University of Utah, School of Medicine, Department of Population Health Science
Victoria Pérez
CAPAC Trainee 2022PhD Health Promotion, University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
Michael Rodríguez
CAPAC Trainee 2024PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus
Celinés Rodríguez
CAPAC Trainee 2025PhD in Epidemiology, University of South Florida
Clara Santiago
CAPAC Trainee 2025PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus
Emily González
CAPAC Trainee 2025PhD Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center
William Hernández
CAPAC Trainee 2025PhD In Epidemiology, University of Southern California
Hannah Van Wyk
CAPAC Trainee 2021Ph.D. Student in Epidemiology, University of Michigan
Kristina Brandveen
CAPAC Trainee 2022Joint Ph.D. Student in Public Health Program, Global Health, UC San Diego & San Diego State University
- Master’s-level graduate students (from public health or biomedical sciences programs, or related fields), * OR
- Master’s- or doctoral-level students enrolled in health professional programs (i.e. Doctor of Medicine [MD], Doctor of Dental Medicine [DMD], Master of Science in Pharmacy [Msc] or Doctor of Pharmacy [PharmD], Master of Science in Nursing [MSN] or Doctor of Nursing Practice [DNP], or related fields), * OR
- Individuals who have graduated from any of the above programs within the past twelve (12) months*
- Minimum GPA of 2.80
- Two letters of recommendation
- Research experience is preferred
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
- Basic knowledge of the Spanish is recommended
- U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident
- One-page essay describing research interests and goals
*Applicants must have completed at least one year of graduate-level study by the start of the CAPAC Program. Individuals enrolled in or graduated from bachelor’s-level programs only, current PhD or DrPH students, or individuals who have already been accepted into a PhD or DrPH program are not eligible.
- Monday, October 19, 2026
Application Period Begins - Friday, January 22, 2027 (11:59 p.m. AST)
Application Period Ends - Friday, January 23, 2027 – Friday, March 5, 2027
2026 Cohort Selection Process - Monday, March 8, 2027
Applicants will be informed of their application status - Friday, March 12, 2027
Deadline for selected students to confirm their space within CAPAC - Tuesday, June 1, 2027 – Friday, August 6, 2027
CAPAC Program (10 weeks) - Tuesday, June 1, 2027 – Friday, September 10, 2027
CAPAC Program (15 weeks)
– Last update: september 23, 2026
- 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. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 17, 100382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100382
- García-Vargas, A. M., Roque-Reyes, Y. M., Arroyo-Villegas, D. M., Santiago-Negron, D., Sánchez-Vázquez, M. M., Rivera-Torres, A., Reyes-Meléndez, A. C., Cardona-Berdecía, V., García-Maldonado, M., Víquez, O. M., & Martínez-Ferrer, M. (2022). HLA-BAT1 alters migration, invasion and pro-inflammatory cytokines in prostate cancer. Frontiers in Oncology, 12, 969396. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.969396
- Aponte-Caraballo, F. M., Heredia-Negrón, F., Nieves-Rodriguez, B. G., & Roche-Lima, A. (2024). Death prediction by race in colorectal cancer patients using machine learning approaches. In A. K. Maier, J. A. Schnabel, P. Tiwari, & O. Stegle (Eds.), Machine Learning for Multimodal Healthcare Data (pp. 1–6). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47679-2_1
- Galán-Ortíz, J. R., Andino Del Valle, K. A., Pérez-Rosario, A. A., Castañón Pereira, D. L., Díaz-Rivera, J., Merheb-Finianos, P. A., & Dorta-Estremera, S. M. (2023). B cells as modulators of HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer in a preclinical model. Frontiers in Oncology, 13, 1145724. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2023.1145724
- Valle Cortés, S. M., Pérez Morales, J., Nieves Plaza, M., Maldonado, D., Tevenal Baez, S. M., Negrón Blas, M. A., Lazcano Etchebarne, C., Feliciano, J., Ruiz Deyá, G., Santa Rosario, J. C., & Santiago Cardona, P. (2024). Integrating proteomic analysis and machine learning to predict prostate cancer aggressiveness. Stats, 7(3), 875–893. https://doi.org/10.3390/stats7030053
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- Hill KA, Colón-López V. Delays in Care by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Cross-Sectional Data From the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program. Womens Health Issues. 2024 Jul-Aug;34(4):391-400. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2024.02.003. Epub 2024 Apr 9. PMID: 38599938; PMCID: PMC11297690.
- Kaya, D., Santiago, C., Pernas, E., Truong, S., Martinez, G., Méndez, L. B., & Delgado, Y. (2025). Air Pollutants in Puerto Rico: Key Pollutants and Carcinogenic Properties. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(10), 1549. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22101549
- López-Vallejo D, Pérez CM, González-Sepúlveda L, Soto-Salgado M. Examining Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors: Cross-Sectional Associations with Comorbidities, Navigation Services Use, and Perceived Social Support. Cancers (Basel). 2025 Nov 26;17(23):3784. doi: 3390/cancers17233784. PMID: 41374986; PMCID: PMC12691021.
- Cardona NR, Bolaños A, García-Camacho S, Castro-Jiménez L, Torres B, Mendez-Lazaro P, Ortiz AP.
Post-Hurricane Related Environmental Stressors and Essential Services Interruptions, and their Impact on the Quality of Life of Women with Gynecological Cancer in Puerto Rico. The Journal of Climate Change and Health. JOCLIM-D-25-00048. Journal of Climate Change and Health, 10(1016).
- Perez J, Mendez-Lazaro P, Rivera F, Rivera T, Cardona NR, Ortiz AP. Climate Concerns and Extreme Weather Impact on Cancer Patients and Survivors in Puerto Rico: A Cross-Sectional Study. The Journal of Climate Change and Health. JOCLIM-D-24-00103. Journal of climate Change and Health, 10(0826).
- Hernández, W; Rodríguez-Ortiz, G; González-Sepúlveda, L; Pérez, CM; Soto-Salgado, M; Sánchez-Díaz, C. Health-Related Quality of Life, Comorbidities, and Lifestyle Behaviors Among a Sample of Obesity-Related and Non-Obesity-Related Cancer Survivors. Journal: Cancers. Manuscript ID: cancers-4430393. Received on June 26, 2026.
- Rodriguez-Villafañe, K., Santiago, C., Figueroa, J. E., Figueroa, E., & Delgado, Y. (2026). Established and Emerging Less Invasive Biomarkers and Technologies for Lung Cancer Screening: Puerto Rican Context. Onco, 6(2), 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/onco6020018
- 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
- Comprehensive Cancer Center strengthens training for 26 cancer researchers in Puerto Rico with CAPAC
- Promotes new researchers in cancer prevention and control
About Us
Research performed in Puerto Rico (PR) provides an opportunity to advance knowledge of cancer risk, as well as cancer prevention and control strategies relevant to populations across the United States (US).
Since 2019, the Cancer Prevention and Control (CAPAC) Research Training Program at the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center has sought to increase the number of master’s-level graduates and other health professionals who pursue doctoral degrees and/or careers in cancer prevention and control research. CAPAC enhances participants’ understanding of the spectrum of cancer prevention and control research while strengthening their research skills, hands-on experience, and ability to work across different research settings.
The program will recruit participants from different academic backgrounds who are selected to participate in a 10- or 15-week hands-on research experience in Puerto Rico. Selection is based on a competitive review process based on their merit (academic performance, letters of recommendation, and research interests). Participants are matched with mentors based on their research interests in basic, clinical/translational, and population-based research.
Overall, 25 participants will be recruited every year to the program. The program includes seminars and workshops designed to strengthen participants’ skills (i.e. successful interview techniques, manuscript writing, and leadership) to increase their interest in pursuing advanced degrees or research careers in cancer prevention and control. Upon application and evaluation of the request, the program will support some trainees to extend their research experience for up to 15 weeks. While the official languages of Puerto Rico and of the CAPAC Research Training program are English and Spanish, Spanish is a dominant language in work and community settings locally.
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 (5R25CA240120-08).
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
Mariela Bournigal-Feliciano, MPH
CAPAC Coordinator capac@cccupr.org
787-772-8300 ext. 1421
© Copyright 2016 – 2023
Centro Comprensivo de Cáncer Universidad de Puerto Rico.
All Rights Reserved
787-772-8300 Ext. 1421, 1121, 1204
capac@cccupr.org