This proposal would establish a program to provide short research experiences for Ohio State University medical students. It is designed to provide 30 students with an 8-week, summer cancer research experience. Ten prematriculated medical students and twenty first-year medical students to work with researchers in the OSU-CCC. The program is designed to cultivate their interest in cancer research as a career, to provide them with insight into the latest scientific discoveries and their relevance to the clinical setting and to furnish them with one-on-one mentoring by CCC faculty. In addition to the hands-on research experience, students will also attend a lunchtime seminar series, featuring lectures by leading cancer researchers from all over the U.S. These seminars will introduce the students to the latest research discoveries and technologies in a variety of cancer specialties. At the end of the summer, students will present the results of their work in a Summer Research Poster Day. Poster Day will provide them with an opportunity to learn more about other research within the CCC. Students are expected to participate in meetings and seminars in their individual labs. Furthermore, any students whose research is accepted for presentation at a scientific meeting may apply for a travel stipend. This program is intended to expose medical students to the many facets of cancer research, both clinical and bench-based, within the unique environment of the OSU-CCC. The medical students will participate in research projects, attend lectures and seminars and be supported to present their research at national scientific meetings. Those students who participate for a second summer (prematriculated students from the previous year) will act as mentors to incoming participants, providing an important mentoring component to the program. Recruitment of participants will place an emphasis on attracting underrepresented and minority students to the program. Lastly, we will implement a long-term tracking system to measure the impact of the summer experience on career choices and research participation, which will quantify the long-term impact of this program on career decisions and practice preferences.
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