Office of Cancer Research Capacity Building
About
The Office of Cancer Research Capacity Building, within the Office of the Director, develops and promotes practices, policies, and procedures to foster a collaborative culture of excellence and civility in all aspects of our work at the Center for Cancer Research (CCR). We focus on three main areas: workforce development, engagement, collaboration, expanding comprehensive population research, and enhancing representation in research and clinical trials. We take great pride in growing the scientific workforce by facilitating the participation of all populations and circumstances in science. We champion a civil internal culture, defining best practices to recruit and retain fantastic talent and outreach to encourage and strengthen participation in biomedical research.
Staff
Associate Director
Shauna A. Clark, Ph.D. serves as the Senior Advisor to the CCR's Director at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she develops and implements policies and programs to ensure an environment of excellence. She is committed to ensuring that all who want to participate in scientific endeavors not only have the opportunity to do so but also feel valued and supported.
Prior to her role at CCR, Dr. Clark was the Director of the NIH Academy, a health disparities program for fellows/trainees at NIH. As the Director, Dr. Clark oversaw its growth to an impressive, multi-faceted recruitment program. Moreover, Dr. Clark has been deeply immersed in multiple efforts to educate future public health professionals, clinicians, and researchers about health disparities while creating a premier scientific workforce by facilitating the participation of all. Her work has been recognized with several NIH Honor Awards.
Dr. Clark earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She then completed postdoctoral work with the Liver Diseases Branch in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Program Staff
Sonia A. Garcia, Ph.D., graduated from Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Biochemistry and Language and Cultural Studies. Dr. Garcia attained a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, in the Molecular Medicine Graduate Program with a Cancer Biology focus. Dr. Garcia presented her research both during in-person and virtual scientific conferences, where she won two first-place awards for her research talks.
Dr. Garcia currently serves as a Program Manager & Analyst in the Office of Cancer Research Capacity Building where she supports workforce development, collaboration, and enhancing cancer research opportunities and programs.
During her leisure time, Dr. Garcia loves traveling, attending concerts and loves spending time with her family and pets.
Timothy Watts, M.P.H., serves as a Program Analyst in the Office of Cancer Research Capacity Building working to develop and promote practices, policies, and procedures to foster a collaborative culture of excellence, civility, at CCR.
Timothy has been steeped in Public Health Work for over 15 years in a variety of settings, including serving as a Program Coordinator with the Department of Health and Environmental Control for the State of South Carolina and in multiple roles in the Community Health and Administrative branches of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Timothy also previously worked with the American Red Cross’ Preparedness, Health, and Safety Division.
Tim’s preferred pronouns are: “He/Him/그의,” and he is a proud alum of the University of Georgia. Timothy enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, cooking, playing music, and is an avid fan of many Georgia and Atlanta-area sports teams.
Contact
If you have any questions or comments please email sonia.garcia@nih.gov.
Seminars
Find a full archive of all Office of Cancer Research Capacity Building seminars on our vBrick channel.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Dr. Luis G. Carvajal-Carmona
As part of our "Empowering Communities: Strategies for Addressing Hispanic/Latino Cancer Inequities Seminar Series," we hosted the second seminar with Dr. Luis G. Carvajal-Carmona from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Carvajal-Carmona shared his groundbreaking work, including the discovery of cancer genes and research on the genetic origins of Latino populations. The seminar highlighted his efforts to advance cancer health equity for Latino communities through innovative research and community engagement, offering strategies to reduce cancer disparities.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we hosted the “Empowering Communities: Strategies for Addressing Hispanic/Latino Cancer Inequities Seminar Series” featuring Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., from the University of Texas at San Antonio who explored the vital role of community engagement in cancer prevention and control within Hispanic/Latino populations. She shared her team’s initiatives to develop culturally tailored interventions aimed at increasing cancer awareness and improving screening uptake, with a focus on overcoming barriers to access.
Celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month: Advancing Leaders: Pathways to Leadership: Navigating AANHPI Leadership Disparities
For the second seminar in our "Celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month: Advancing Leaders," seminar series we co-hosted a panel discussion with the NIH Federation Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Network featuring leaders from across the NIH, NCI and CCR. The panel explored the underlying factors contributing to leadership disparities among AANHPI professionals at the NIH. Staff can view the resources discussed on the DEIA section of CCR Central, CCR's intranet, under "Professional Development."
Initiatives
As part of our focus on workforce development and increasing health disparities research, we develop and launch initiatives geared toward supporting CCR staff engaging in health disparities research and cultivating a workforce culture of support, collaboration and engagement.
Health Disparities Travel Award
Created in 2023, this award provides financial support for members of CCR’s scientific workforce, from post-baccalaureate trainees to principal investigators, to attend the American Association for Cancer Research’s Annual Conference on the Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.
Attendance at this already well-established meeting provides awardees with the opportunity to engage with experts in the field of health disparities research, network and consider ways to incorporate health disparities questions into their research. This award acts as a bridge for those eager to engage with health disparities research and to make connections in the field. After attending the conference, awardees meet with CCR’s Health Disparities Steering Committee to share their experience and receive guidance on how to incorporate what they learned into their science.
Staff can learn how to apply on CCR Central.
Visiting Faculty Award Program
Created in 2024, this program provides an opportunity for a small cohort of visiting faculty (VF) from local universities in the DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia Metropolitan area) to conduct cutting-edge biomedical research at CCR during the summer term (eight weeks).
This program serves as a starting point for continued collaboration between VF awardees and CCR’s scientific community. The VF will be paired with a CCR Host Principal Investigator in whose lab they will conduct their research. To learn more about the program, including eligibility criteria for those interested in applying, visit the VFA Program webpage on ccr.cancer.gov.
Staff can learn more about the program by visiting the VFA Program webpage on CCR Central.