Cancer Research Opportunity Summer 2022

Students with a serious career interest in cancer research, either as a clinical scientist or laboratory-based research scientist are encouraged to apply for the NIH/NCI-funded (5 R25CA023944) Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program. A primary goal of the POE program is to encourage students to pursue a career in cancer research. The program offers a unique opportunity for pre-doctoral students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, and pharmacy to gain biomedical and oncology research experience. Students participate in basic or clinical oncology research, research and clinical conferences, and a core lecture series designed specifically for them. All participants make a PowerPoint presentation on their research project and submit a report on their research project written in the style of a journal in which their faculty mentor publishes. We hope to be able to resume in-person on-campus research experiences for our 2022 program. Please note that as of September 10, 2021, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has mandated the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of entry for anyone who enters the St. Jude campus. In the event that the 2022 POE Program is held in-person, the COVID-19 vaccine will be a requirement of participation.

St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers training in leading-edge scientific fields paired with unique mentoring in the St. Jude clinical experience. Highly motivated POE students would have the opportunity to be considered for admission to the St. Jude Graduate School upon completion of their undergraduate degree.

All POE program applicants must have research experience at the time they apply. POEs must be United States citizens, non-citizen nationals, or possess a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States (required by the funding agency). All must have completed at least their college sophomore year by the time they participate. POE medical students spend a minimum of 10 weeks in the program. The minimum tenure requirement for all others is 11 weeks. All POE applicants must have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.40 (on a 4.0 scale) in math and science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and at least a 3.40 overall. We hope to be able to increase the POE 2022 subsistence allowance to $600/week for all participants. Fully furnished group housing will be provided at no cost for non- local participants.

The POE home page contains links to the program application. The deadline for receipt of all 2022 application materials is February 1, 2022. Early application is highly recommended, since completed applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis. Members of under-represented ethnic minority groups and women are particularly encouraged to apply, since one of the major long-term program goals is to increase the diversity of persons engaged in oncology research and practice.