Meharry summer undergraduate research experiences in cancer program

项目总结/文摘

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Meharry Medical College requests funds to expand the Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), a program that primarily trains undergraduate students from racial and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in health-related sciences. Meharry Medical College is one of the largest historically black academic health science centers in the United States dedicated to educating physicians and biomedical researchers. It has a proven commitment to training underrepresented minorities and is a leading producer of African Americans with PhDs in biomedical sciences. Meharry has received federal funding to support a U54 Cancer Partnership and other programs to support the research training and education of students traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research. The 10-week summer program provides an intensive, hands-on cancer-focused research experience for undergraduate students and exposes student participants to the area of cancer health disparities. Research training is provided by a diverse faculty consisting of experienced cancer investigators from Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this administrative supplement, we request funds to provide additional training in the area of bioinformatics. A nationwide search will be conducted to identify and select undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in medicine and biomedical science. Student research projects will focus on cancers that disproportionately affect African-Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities. In addition, student research projects will include preclinical studies, clinical research, epidemiological studies, and translational cancer research. Five students supported by this supplement will perform cancer disparities-focused research projects involving bioinformatics. Additional program enrichment activities will include a cancer biology minicourse to teach students fundamental concepts common to all cancers and a bioinformatics minicourse. Students will participate in a weekly cancer biology/cancer health disparities research seminar and biweekly sessions on the responsible conduct of research. Students will also participate in career development workshops that will allow them to explore career options, create individual development plans, and learn how to apply and successfully gain entrance into M.D. and Ph.D. training programs. At the end of the 10-week program, students will create oral and poster presentations describing their research and present their findings internally during the Meharry Summer Cancer Research Symposium and externally at one national conference. Program directors will track participants through their undergraduate and post-graduate training to evaluate the extent to which program goals were met and identify areas for improvement. Evaluations from research mentors and undergraduate program directors/chairs will also be used to assess and improve the program.