Partnership Benefits

 Both institutions in this partnership bring an array of strengths and resources to this mutual commitment to reduce disparities in cancer prevention, control and treatment and enhance cancer education and awareness in our region.

 California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) is a regional comprehensive institution in California’s capital city. Sacramento State offers a vibrant academic culture with an increasingly multicultural student body of 28,000, graduating about 6,000 students each year. Despite its size, quality teaching in small classes remains a top priority. Students enjoy personalized attention from their professors with a student-faculty ratio of 21 to 1. The focus is on quality teaching and scholarly activity that informs good teaching, both of which emerge from staying current and connected in one’s field.  Sacramento State faculty are conducting research to add to their disciplinary bodies of knowledge, and engaging students at all levels in opportunities to apply innovative approaches to solving critical regional problems.

 The University of California, Davis, Health System, just seven minutes away from Sacramento State, includes the UC Davis School of Medicine, a new Center for Reducing Health Disparities, the NCI-designated UC Davis Cancer Center, research labs, a –bed teaching hospital and a new stem cell research program. The dynamic, world-class faculty at UCD are not only scholars and active researchers, many are clinicians as well.

 The partnership of Sacramento State and the UC Davis Cancer Center opens the way for collaborative research projects involving faculty as well a students at both institutions. Internships for Sacramento State students at the UC Davis Cancer Center provide encouragement and support to students exploring career goals in medicine and the health sciences; Sacramento State faculty have opportunities to collaborate with UC Davis Cancer Center faculty on research.  Through their partnerships, students and faculty can create more effective and efficient interventions to target disparities in cancer prevention, control and treatment which can be developed and tested here in the region.

 In its first year, the Partnership co-sponsored a Community/Campus Collaborative Conference that resulted in two research teams with representation from both institutions and community minority leaders committed to address ways to prevent cervical cancer among Hispanic women and to prevent colorectal cancer in the American Indian population. Plans are underway for a follow-up Conference in 2007 to share the results of the research teams. 

 A “Cancer as a Process” one-month elective module for 4^th year medical students is being offered in April of 2007 at the UC Davis Medical School. Members of the Partnership Board have collaborated on development of the course and share teaching responsibilities.  A similar course will be developed and team-taught at Sacramento State during 2007-08.

 In March-April 2007 the Partnership will host at Sacramento State’s Library Gallery Annex body image-body essence, a dramatic sculpture exhibition by John Magnin which explores and articulates experiences with ovarian cancer.  Both campuses have planned an array of lectures, presentations, and activities for students, faculty and members of the Sacramento regional community to visit campus and experience this important exhibition while learning more about the impact of ovarian cancer, one of the most aggressive forms.