Training & Education
Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC)
The University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center supports multidisciplinary education and training in the context of CU Cancer Center’s research and clinical mission through the development of novel programs, active participation in the training of mentees across a broad spectrum of educational stages including middle and high school students, undergraduates, post-baccalaureates, graduate students, medical students, residents, and fellows. We also provide career development activities for junior faculty (referred to as mentored members) and cancer-focused educational and training activities for cancer center members.
We place a major emphasis on the integration of training and education activities with cutting-edge basic, population, and clinical cancer research undertakings. Furthermore, in close collaboration with the CU Cancer Center Community Engagement and Outreach Office, we put a unique focus on including and recruiting individuals who have experienced a lack of access in education and training activities.
Mission, Vision, & Goals
Mission
Serve and improve the care of cancer patients by fostering the careers of cancer care providers, new investigators, and aspiring young scientists in cancer research, population science, and clinical care.
Vision
Educating and training the next generation of innovative leaders in translational, basic, clinical, and population science-related cancer research will conquer cancer.
Our Goals
Training & Education Opportunities
CRTEC is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists. Click below to find out more about our K-12 programming that provides exposure and real-world experiences for young students in the cancer biology field.
CRTEC’s education and training initiatives for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students engage scientific curiosity in the next generation by providing opportunities for students to explore future careers in cancer research while fueling the biomedical research pipeline. Click below to find out more about our undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programming.
CRTEC supports the education and training of graduate, medical, and postdoctoral students through the organization and facilitation of the Cancer Symposium Seminars and Colloquiums, dissemination of relevant training and grant opportunities, assisting with cancer-relevant training grants, and providing funding for training courses and innovation grants. Click below to learn more about the programming for graduate, medical, and post-doctoral students.
CRTEC supports Junior Faculty, referred to as Mentored Members, by organizing and facilitating the Cancer Symposium Seminars and Colloquiums, providing quarterly meetings and workshops, assisting with grant writing, and dissemination of grant and training opportunities. Click below to learn more about programming for mentored members.
The Cancer Center hosts a symposium series each week during the fall and spring semesters that is organized and facilitated by CRTEC. In these symposiums, our Cancer Center members and students, learn about current research occurring in the field of Cancer Biology. Scientists from the CU Cancer Center in addition to distinguished researchers brought in from across the nation present their research at the seminars.
These CME-accredited seminars are held on Tuesdays from 12:00 - 1:00 pm MST in either a virtual or hybrid format as a live web conference with a Q&A session during the last 15 minutes. When COVID restrictions allow, pizza lunch is provided for those attending in person.
For the schedule of the upcoming Cancer Symposium Seminars:
Can’t attend a symposium session you are interested in? Most of the symposium sessions are recorded (with permission of the speaker) and posted on the Cancer Center Symposium Series YouTube Channel.
The University of Colorado Cancer Center Adjunct Membership
The University of Colorado Cancer Center has a membership type that will enable all levels of researchers to stay connected to the Cancer Center.
Adjunct members have access to:
- Training opportunities
- Cancer Center Symposium Series
- Volunteer and Outreach Opportunities
- Leadership Opportunities
- DEIA Events
- Networking Events
- Oncology Clinical Research Lunch and Learn
- Pilot Grant opportunities to develop your research
Find out more about Adjunct Membership here.
Sign up by taking the short, five-minute application.
Training & Education Latest News
LaCOTA Travel Award Recipients Present at Oncology National Conferences
This fall, three CU-SOM medical students received an amazing opportunity to present their cancer research nationally via the LaCamera Oncology Travel Awards (LaCOTA), thanks to funds generously donated by the LaCamera family specifically to support oncology training of CU-SOM medical students.
LaCOTA awards provided funding support for these medical scientists in training to present their research and participate in professional development activities at oncology-focused national conferences.
The three students who received the award in Fall 2024 were Jamie Burke, Brandon Bellen, and Lucas Eggers.
- Jamie Burke, mentored by Charles Van Hook, presented her project titled “Malignant Pleural Effusion: Unveiling an Unusual Course of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma After Years Of Remission” at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Conference.
- Brandon Bellen, mentored by Dr. Erin Bredenberg, presented his project titled “Access to Palliative Care for Individuals with Cancer Experiencing Homelessness” at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.
- Lucas Eggers, mentored by Dr. Natalie Serkova, presented his research titled, “Advanced MRI Analysis to Assess Chemo-Radiation Response in Pediatric Ependymoma Models” at the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Conference.
Through the LaCOTA program, these medical students had the opportunity to present at prestigious national conferences and gain valuable oncology training experience. Please join us in congratulating these future oncology medical scientists.
Brandon Bellen
Jamie Burke
Lucas Eggers
ASCENT and PIKE-PREP Scholars Shine at 2024 ABRCMS
Scholars from the ASCENT and PIKE-PREP programs made their mark at the 2024 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) in Pittsburgh, PA. Nine scholars attended the conference to listen to scientific and career development symposia, network with peers, faculty and program directors and present their research projects. These scholars demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and contributed to the strong presence of ASCENT and PIKE-PREP at the conference, underscoring the impact of these programs in fostering the next generation of STEM leaders.
PIKE-PREP Scholars Manna Morris and Astrid Ardón-Lopez, and ASCENT Scholars Pedro Gamez and Sumra Chaudhry, were recognized for their Outstanding Poster Presentations in their respective research categories. Their work captured the attention of conference attendees and earned them accolades for excellence in scientific presentation.
Here’s a look at their award-winning presentations:
- Astrid Ardon-Lopez (PIKE-PREP): Outstanding Postbaccalaureate Poster Presentation in Immunology for her presentation titled, “Sex-Specific Differences in Hepatic Steatosis and Macrophage Infiltration in Aged Galectin-3 Knockout Mice”.
- Manna Morris (PIKE-PREP): Outstanding Postbaccalaureate Poster Presentation in Cell and Developmental Biology for her presentation titled, “Effects of Innate Immune Activation on Myelin Development”.
- Sumra Chaudhry (ASCENT): Outstanding Postbaccalaureate Poster Presentation in Cancer Biology for her presentation titled, “Immune Profiling of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Patients with Primary and Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcomas”.
- Pedro Gamez (ASCENT): Outstanding Postbaccalaureate Poster Presentation in Microbiology for his presentation titled, “Developing a Model System to Advance Treatments for γ-Herpesvirus-Associated Lymphomas”.
Congratulations to Anne, Astrid, Hajjia, Irene, Jenna, Manna, Miga, Pedro, and Sumra for their dedication and contributions to the scientific community. We wish them all continued success in their future endeavors!
Back row, from left to right: Anne Williams, Jenna Bahn, Sumra Chaudhry, Pedro Gamez, Miga Romano Banks, and Irene Liang. Front row, from left to right: Manna Morris, Astrid Ardon-Lopez, Adela Cota-Gomez (Senior Coordinator of PIKE-PREP and ASCENT), and Hajjia Mohammed Gipson.
From left to right: Astrid Ardon-Lopez, Manna Morris, Sumra Chaudhry, and Pedro Gamez
High School Biotechnology Research Mentoring Program
During the October 22nd, 2024, Cancer Center Symposium, Jared Williams was presented with an Outstanding Mentoring Award in recognition of his dedication to mentoring the next generation of research scientists through the High School Biotechnology Research Mentoring Program. Jared is a second-year Cancer Biology PhD student in the Kabos Lab. He studies the utility of using cell free DNA to characterize the gene expression and treatment response of cancers in vitro and in vivo. He is also working on a project examining the mechanisms behind premature aging in childhood cancer survivors.
Jared went above and beyond in his mentoring, not only sharing his time with the students but also creating videos to help them learn cell culture techniques and attending their presentations. He has been such a fabulous mentor that he was recruited by the students to return for a second year. We imagine he will have a hard time stepping away from this program and students at Rock Canyon High School as he has become an essential member of the program.
If you are interested in becoming an HS-BreM future scientist mentor, please contact us at CRTEC@cuanschutz.edu.
(l-r) Elsa Swanson, Bently Glauser, Jared Williams, Hansika Lakkireddy
Cancer Innovation Pilot Grant Awardees for 2024
The Cancer Innovation Pilot Grants provide research funding to support the career development of pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees and early-career faculty. These grants are evaluated via a competitive peer-review process in the NIH style.
This year we had a record number of applications and of very high quality. Please join us in congratulating the 2024-2025 Cancer Innovation Pilot Grant Awardees (pictured below).
Joselyn Cruz Cruz, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Mentor: M. Verneris, MD
Project: Improving the Homing of CAR-T Cells within the Pediatric Sarcoma Tumor Microenvironment
Kellet Gil, MD
Resident – StaRR Fellow
Mentor: M. Amaya, MD-PhD
Project: The Role of VDAC1 in energy metabolism and apoptosis in leukemia stem cells
Irene Liang, BS
Post-Baccalaureate Fellow
Mentor: J. Studts, PhD
Project: Perspectives on Lung Cancer Screening in the Sexual and Gender Minority Community
(Co-sponsored by COE and DEIA)
Johannes Menzel, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Mentor: J. DeGregori, PhD
Project: Understanding myeloid differentiation associated autophagy and therapeutic resistance in AML
(Co-sponsored by THI and CRTEC)
Varuna Nangia, BS
MD-PhD Student
Mentor: S. Spencer, MD
Project: Investigating rapid drug adaptation to MAPKi in melanoma
Joseph Sottnik, PhD
Research Instructor
Project: Development and characterization of spontaneous ER+ bone metastasis models of Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
Rachel Steinmetz, BS
PhD Student
Mentor: T. Lyons, PhD
Project: Investigating the potential to overcome fulvestrant resistance in ER+ breast cancer using anti-Semaphorin 7a treatment
Bioscience Educator Support and Training “BEST” Program
CRTEC held the inaugural BEST Professional Development (PD) training for high school and middle school teachers on August 1st and 2nd on the CU AMC for the start of the Timmerhaus Grant-funded program. The cohort consists of seven high school and one middle school bioscience teacher from the Denver Metro and surrounding areas, who want to bring new lab experiences to their students and expand their own knowledge and experiences. Teachers are from the following schools: Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy, Westminster High School, West High School, Northfield High School, Bear Creek High School, Smoky Hill High School, Evergreen High School, and Merrill Middle School. We would like to recognize and thank Alexis Catala, Research Associate, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for partnering with us to support the BEST teachers during the PD session and throughout the year, as teachers need support in the classroom or virtually.
Through the BEST Program, secondary science teachers:
- participate in high-quality professional development sessions to learn exciting and engaging bioscience labs and activities to implement in their classrooms,
- have access to the Bioscience Lending Library which provides equipment, lesson plans, and free materials needed to implement the BEST lessons,
- receive one-on-one mentoring and in-classroom support from CU-AMC scientists as they implement BEST lessons with their students,
- and develop relationships with CU-AMC scientists and other bioscience educators through the BEST teacher network.
Currently, BEST has seven lab kits that are available in Bioscience Lending Library, including Micropipette Kit, DNA Extraction Kit, BioBits Kit, Animals in Cancer Research Kit, DIY Electrophoresis Kit, Gel Electrophoresis Kit, and PCR Kit.
With direction from CRTEC Associate Director, Dr. Eduardo Dávila, Drs. Meredith Tennis, Shawndra Fordham and Adela Cota-Gomez wrote and were awarded the Timmerhaus Fund Ambassadors Grant and developed the BEST program.
Click HERE to learn more about the BEST Program at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
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Welcome PIKE-PREP and ASCENT Scholars!
June 3 & 4, 2024, is now in the history books at the UC Cancer Center at the Anschutz Medical Campus, when the post-baccalaureate programs 2024-2025 PIKE-PREP (Preparation in Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Excel – Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program) and the 2024-2026 ASCENT (Advancement of Scholars in Cancer Education aNd Training) cohorts were welcomed into the programs. Scholars had two days of orientation and training, meeting program directors Dr. Eduardo Davila and Dr. Carlos E. Catalano, CRTEC staff, mentors and members of the various labs. We are excited for their growth and to see the research that will come from their work in the labs.
(Top L-R) Irene Liang, Sumra Chaudhry, Skye Patterson, Pedro Gamez, Miga Romano
(Seated L-R) Jenna Banh, Hajjia Mohammed-Gipson, Evie Nguyen, Manna Morris, Astrid Ardon Lopez
Visit our post-baccalaureate program sites:
Another Successful Session of C2R2 (Cancer Center Research Rangers)
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The Cancer Center hosted 6th grade students from the Challenge Foundation Summer Program. Students were served lunch before an afternoon of cancer science, including hands-on stations: A Close Up Look at Cancer, Use Your Brains, Love the Skin You’re In, and Tobacco Time. Challenge Foundation counselors Connie, Miriam and Aziza were great to join right in to help with the stations. CRTEC would also like to thank Dr. Kristin Schaller and Ben Kooiman of the Verneris Lab for their partnership to give students a dive into cancer.
CRTEC Hosts the Southwest Regional Research Symposium
The first annual Southwest Undergraduate to Graduate Pathways Research Symposium (SW U-GRAPH) held March 22-23, 2024, at the AMC was a great success. CU PIKE-PREP (Preparatory in Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Excel – Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program) welcomed scholars from the University of Oklahoma, University of New Mexico, and University of Utah. Scholars gave oral presentations, Andrielle Finch, University of Utah and two PIKE-PREP scholars from the AMC, Zoe Drigot and Kaitlyn Arce, were recognized for their outstanding oral presentations. Attendees of the symposium were enlightened by keynote speaker Dr. Richard McGee, Northwestern University who spoke about his research on the differentiation of young biomedical scientists into critical careers. The Symposium presented several panels, one being a virtual panel of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Institute of Health (NIH). Other panel subjects were Biomedical Careers in Industry, Scientific/Medical Writing Careers and Law Careers in Biomedical Science. The PIKE-PREP team led by Dr. Eduardo Davila and Dr. Carlos E. Catalano hosted the event and look forward to next year ‘s SW U-GRAPH 2025.
CONGRATULATIONS! Anschutz Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) Committee
Thanks in part to the dedication, commitment, and energy of CRTEC Assistant Director, Dr. Adela Cota-Gomez, the CU President’s DEI Grant was awarded to the Anschutz HSI Committee for the inauguration of the annual Latiné Excellence Symposium. The symposium is a joint effort of all schools on the Anschutz campus and is the foundation of the Anschutz HSI Committee and the committee’s base to elevate the educational and professional experience for everyone on campus. The Anschutz HSI Committee diligently worked on the grant to provide programming in the form of the Latiné Excellence Symposium that will be a half-day event in honor of Anschutz Medical Campus Latiné Excellence, highlighting Latiné leaders, faculty, students, staff and community partners that demonstrate excellence in their field and contribute to creating an environment of true “servingness” on the AMC, who will be recognized with the Con Ganas award. There will be talks by the awardees and a keynote address by a renowned Hispanic Servingness scholar Dr. Gina Ann Garcia a world-recognized researcher on equity and justice in higher education.
CRTEC Leadership
Eduardo Davila, PhD
Program Co-Director
Adela Cota-Gomez, PhD
Assistant Director for Education Administration
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Contact the CRTEC Office at
(303) 724-3174