# Meharry summer undergraduate research experiences in cancer program

> **NIH NIH R25** · MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE · 2022 · $80,452

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Meharry Medical College requests funds to expand the Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate
Research Program (SURP), a program that primarily trains undergraduate students from racial and ethnic groups
traditionally underrepresented in health-related sciences. Meharry Medical College is one of the largest
historically black academic health science centers in the United States dedicated to educating physicians and
biomedical researchers. It has a proven commitment to training underrepresented minorities and is a leading
producer of African Americans with PhDs in biomedical sciences. Meharry has received federal funding to
support a U54 Cancer Partnership and other programs to support the research training and education of students
traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research.
 The 10-week summer program provides an intensive, hands-on cancer-focused research experience for
undergraduate students and exposes student participants to the area of cancer health disparities. Research
training is provided by a diverse faculty consisting of experienced cancer investigators from Meharry Medical
College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this administrative supplement, we request funds to provide
additional training in the area of bioinformatics. A nationwide search will be conducted to identify and select
undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in medicine and biomedical science. Student research
projects will focus on cancers that disproportionately affect African-Americans and other racial and ethnic
minorities. In addition, student research projects will include preclinical studies, clinical research, epidemiological
studies, and translational cancer research. Five students supported by this supplement will perform cancer
disparities-focused research projects involving bioinformatics. Additional program enrichment activities will
include a cancer biology minicourse to teach students fundamental concepts common to all cancers and a
bioinformatics minicourse. Students will participate in a weekly cancer biology/cancer health disparities research
seminar and biweekly sessions on the responsible conduct of research. Students will also participate in career
development workshops that will allow them to explore career options, create individual development plans, and
learn how to apply and successfully gain entrance into M.D. and Ph.D. training programs.
 At the end of the 10-week program, students will create oral and poster presentations describing their
research and present their findings internally during the Meharry Summer Cancer Research Symposium and
externally at one national conference. Program directors will track participants through their undergraduate and
post-graduate training to evaluate the extent to which program goals were met and identify areas for
improvement. Evaluations from research mentors and undergraduate program directors/chairs will also be used
to assess and improve the progr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10605802
- **Project number:** 3R25CA214220-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** LaMonica Vanette Stewart
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $80,452
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10605802

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10605802, Meharry summer undergraduate research experiences in cancer program (3R25CA214220-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10605802. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*
