The Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program: A Strategy to Increase Undergraduate Exposure to Cancer Health Disparities

A lack of diversity in the biomedical research workforce significantly affects our ability to address the public health burden and financial costs associated with cancer health disparities. To address this issue, we created the Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). The Meharry Cancer SURP is a 10-week intensive research experience designed to expose undergraduate students to the area of cancer health disparities; provide students with a greater understanding of basic, clinical and translational cancer research; and to inspire participants to pursue cancer-focused careers. During the first six years of the program a nationwide search was performed to identify and select 10-17 participants per year. Students performed research projects with experienced investigators at either Meharry Medical College or Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Each student participated in a week-long cancer biology mini course to ensure students understood fundamental concepts common to all cancers and relevance to the study of health disparities. They also attended research seminars given by oncologists and cancer researchers and career development sessions designed to provide information on cancer-focused career options and the tools required to submit competitive applications to medical and/or PhD graduate schools. Together these activities increased student awareness of cancer research and cancer health disparities. They also provided opportunities for participants to become part of the larger cancer research community.