Summer research experiences for medical students supervised by faculty mentors

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) Summer Research Fellowship Program is a cancer education program that enables 30 first- and second-year U.S. medical students to participate in laboratory and clinical research under the mentorship of MSK’s clinical faculty. Launched in 1977, this program has allowed some 1,250 medical students to contribute to the research enterprise of a major academic medical center. Program participants are able to work with mentors and in laboratories centrally involved in both basic and clinical research; attend a wide range of conferences and didactics; and learn how to blend lessons from science and clinical practice and present their work to a range of audiences. For some students, the program offers their first biomedical research experience; for many, it is their first exposure to oncology. Laboratory research projects concentrate on molecular biology, cell biology, cellular biochemistry and biophysics, immunology, molecular pharmacology and therapeutics, clinical research, and cancer control and prevention. Clinical research projects focus on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cancer epidemiology, cancer control and prevention, psychosocial studies, supportive care and quality of life issues, and cancer information outreach. A key goal of the program is to increase students’ interest in careers in academic medicine and oncology. Another key goal is to increase participation by underrepresented minorities. The Summer Research Fellowship Program partners with MSK’s Office of Diversity Programs in Clinical Care, Research and Training to increase the number of underrepresented minority participants. The Specific Aims for this grant cycle are: 1. To engage students in innovative scientific research projects that address the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer 2. To maintain the program’s record of participation by highly qualified students from groups underrepresented in the sciences 3. To provide students with additional mentorship opportunities to promote their professional development within academic medicine 4. To foster students’ development of scientific fluency and literacy in core competencies of research