Med Students SOAR: A Model for Immersive Oncology Research Training for Early Medical Trainees

Physician-scientists are critical to advancing evidence-based medicine and research, yet the number of trainees is declining. Limited programs for early research exposure contribute to this decreasing trend. Thus, the Medical Students Summer in Oncology at Anderson Research (Med Students SOAR) program, funded by the National Cancer Institute, was developed to provide medical students with immersive experiences in clinical and research oncology. The program engaged 25 students for 8–10 weeks mentored by MD Anderson faculty, focusing on research skill development, clinical integration, and interprofessional collaboration. To evaluate the impact on students, pre- and post- program surveys were conducted using questions on a 5-point Likert scale where higher scores correspond to higher satisfaction. All scores were analyzed using statistical software. The students reported high satisfaction and meaningful impact, particularly faculty mentor interactions (87%, 20/23), mentor engagement frequency (87%, 20/23), and mentor communication (78%, 18/23). Furthermore, students (91–100%) reported that their mentors provided career guidance and professional networking. The students showed significant gains in career knowledge (4.1→4.4, p=.04), self-efficacy in research (3.8→4.3, p=.007), and science identity (3.9→4.2, p=.06). There was also a significantly higher career intention to pursue a research career (3.4→3.8, p=.013) and a significant decrease in the experience of imposter phenomenon (2.4→2.0, p=.007). After a one-year follow up survey of 15 respondents, all continued in research activities where they garnered fifteen journal publications (six first-author), eight conference proceedings, and numerous ongoing manuscripts. The Med Students SOAR program demonstrated that structured, mentored oncology research program enhanced medical students’ skills, career knowledge, and engagement in cancer research.