With this application we request a 5-year renewal of our Cancer Research Experiences for Students Summer Internship Program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham. In its first 5 summers (1999-2003) the CARES Program has supported 158 excellent students who undertook 129 distinct cancer research projects. These students have made major contributions to the cancer research conducted at the CCC, while they gained invaluable research experience. The long-term goal of CARES is to stimulate students accepted by UAB for a graduate degree in Medicine, Public Health, Dentistry, or Graduate Nursing, to pursue careers in cancer research. We propose to recruit 200 students (""""""""CARES Interns"""""""") over the next 5 years (2004-2008) to undertake internships lasting from 8 to 16 weeks. Minority recruiting, which has been very successful to date, will again be emphasized. Interns will receive a locally competitive stipend and limited research funding. The """"""""CARES Preceptors"""""""" will again be drawn from 323 CCC faculty members currently engaged in over 400 funded research grants in 9 programmatic areas, including basic sciences, translational research, prevention and control, and clinical care. A novel and widely applicable web-based approach will be used to match Interns to the most appropriate CARES projects and Preceptors available, in light of the background and career interests of the Intern and the demands of the project. Interns will attend the """"""""CARES Career Development Seminars"""""""" to stimulate their pursuit of a cancer research career, and to give them an opportunity to present their summer research findings. Interns will be encouraged to submit abstracts of their work for presentation at the CCC's Annual Research Retreat and at regional and national meetings. All aspects of the CaRES Program will be rigorously evaluated so that concerns can be identified quickly, achievements can be documented, and further improvements can be made. Long-term follow-up of CARES alumni is proposed. The CaRES Interns will acquire research experience and become familiar with the education and training needed to begin a cancer research career.
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