The power of partnership: Addressing cancer health disparities through an academic-service partnership

Partnerships between universities and healthcare organizations help foster interdisciplinary collaboration and can yield programs to address pressing needs in both sectors. In spite of these benefits, such partnerships remain more the exception than the norm. This article describes a partnership between a comprehensive cancer center and a university-based college of nursing and health sciences that serves a diverse student population. With the support of U-56 funding, the 2 organizations collaborated to develop a new, 87-credit BS-to-PhD in Nursing program and to enhance the university's traditional PhD in nursing program. Both PhD programs prepare nurses for careers in teaching, health policy, and research related to cancer health disparities. In addition to an innovative curriculum, the programs include a mentorship that leverages the research expertise and scholarly resources of both organizations and a community outreach component that gives students experience in planning and implementing educational and risk-reduction programs addressing cancer health disparities.