The Proposed Oncology Summer Fellowship program will provide support and encouragement for health science professional students who wish to gain exposure and experience in oncology-related research during their vacation periods. Because of the school calendars, this activity will take place largely during summer recess, with an average time commitment of approximately eight weeks for each project. An additional week will be devoted to preparing a final report and when appropriate, the preparation of a poster presentation. The planned projects has been built upon a very successful summer fellowship program previously sponsored by the NCI. It also takes advantage of popular school-wide summer research programs, in the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, which, while not oncology-focused, have greatly enhanced student interest in summer research activities. A substantial base of extra-murally funded faculty have agreed to sponsor these students. A significant number of sponsoring faculty are in the basic science division of the School of Medicine and Biological Sciences and the thrust of their research is molecular biology as it relates to cancer. There is also significant sponsor interest in cancer epidemiology and nutrition, and in oral cancer, Through current recruitment efforts we nutrition, and in oral cancer. Through current recruitment efforts we anticipate the addition, in the immediate future, of Nursing and Radiation Medicine faculty sponsors and grant participants. Program evaluation will focus on student achievement in this research experience as well as the effect of such a program on attitudes toward oncology research and possible influences on career selection.
