Cancer Research Education And Training Experience

The goal of the University of Minnesota Cancer Research, Education and Training Experience (CREATE) program is to train, motivate and prepare the next generation of cancer biology researchers in order to accelerate the reduction of cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality. The CREATE program is an integrated residential 10 week summer research experience that motivates and/or affirms student interest in pursuing a research career, and provides students with foundational skills required for entry into and success in a graduate or MD/PhD program. The foundation of our program is the completion of an independent cancer biology research project under the mentorship of a University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center faculty member. We enrich this research experience with regular group meetings to discuss research and develop presentation skills, introduction to core concepts in cancer biology, emerging cancer biology research topics and cancer research career pathways, and the development of professional skills critical for admission to and success in a graduate program. Based on our ability to recruit a talented cohort of students, and outstanding student outcomes in the initial funding period, we are requesting continued support for the CREATE program. We will recruit 18 students each year, with 6 students participating in a novel “MSTP track” where students will be mentored by a physician scientist and participate in additional MD/PhD-specific enrichment activities. The rationale for this new track is based on success with a pilot in the previous funding period, and the need to increase the physician scientist pipeline. For all CREATE students, we have used our evaluation results to revise our cancer biology-specific activities, provide mentor training to all program participants, and focus our professional development activities on supporting and enhancing mentoring relationships, writing personal statements and interviewing. The CREATE program benefits from strong partnerships with the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center and the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD). We work extensively with the Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Programs, a long-standing umbrella organization that coordinates the activities of several distinct summer research programs at Minnesota. This relationship enhances our recruitment efforts, maximizes administrative efficiencies, and provides additional enrichment activities that complement and enhance CREATE. Continuous quality improvement driven by our evaluation plan will allow us to continue to enhance the student experience and positively impact short-term and long-term measures of success.