CRTEC’s training and education initiatives for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students are designed to engage scientific curiosity in the next generation of scientists, provide opportunities for students to explore cancer-related research as a future career, and fuel the biomedical research pipeline by supporting students in gaining research experience and skills needed to enhance their ability to be accepted to graduate school.
CRTEC strives to fuel the cancer-research pipeline by providing targeted programming to introduce students to cancer research-related careers and give them the opportunity to develop experience and skills at conducting cancer research. Whether it be a summer research experience through CREU (Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates or a year-round research experience through U-TRAC (Undergraduate Training and Research Achievement in Cancer), undergraduate students in Colorado and across the nation can experience research as they prepare to enter into the cancer research pipeline.
Another CRTEC approach to strengthening the pipeline is to support students who are under-represented in the biomedical sciences field on their journey to becoming accepted into graduate school to conduct scientific research through our R25-funded PIKE-PREP (Preparation in Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Excel) program.
Every summer 30 college undergraduate students are invited to spend ten weeks conducting mentored research in a cancer research laboratory at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The goal of the University of Colorado Cancer Center's Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU) is to engage scientific curiosity in the next generation of scientists and provide an opportunity for college undergraduates to consider a future career in cancer-related research.
Directors: Mary Reyland, PhD, and John Tentler, PhD
Through the U-TRAC Program, undergraduate students participate in a year-long, paid, mentored cancer-related research experience coupled with training in biomedical concepts, research principles, and career development workshops and lectures.
Interested in getting paid to gain real scientific research experience?
The U-TRAC program starts September 1st and runs through the entire school year. U-TRAC students are encouraged to continue working in the lab throughout the summer and will have the option to continue into a second year of research.
Interested rising sophomores and/or juniors are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is August 1st. To begin your application to U-TRAC, click the Apply Now button below. You may start an application, save it, and return at a later date if needed.
For more information, or for questions, please contact CRTEC@cuanschutz.edu.
Directors: Eduardo Davila, PhD and Adela Cota-Gomez, PhD
The mission of the University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus PIKE-PREP program is to offer a year-long multi-dimensional mentoring and research training experience to prepare underrepresented post-baccalaureate students to enroll and succeed in a top-tier PhD or MD-PhD program and commit to a career in biomedical research.
To achieve this mission, PIKE-PREP program participants will:
Directors: Eduardo Davila, PhD, and Carlos Catalano, PharmD, PhD
PRESTIGE is a one-year mentored research training program that provides a unique opportunity for recent baccalaureate graduates who are interested in a future medical career combined with biomedical research. The program targets groups traditionally underrepresented (URM) in the biomedical research enterprise.
Trainees will conduct mentored research on the Anschutz Medical Campus to expand their research skills. They will also participate in professional and career development activities that are designed to support them in being accepted into a top medical school following program completion. The program is run in conjunction with PIKE-PREP.
If you have questions about PRESTIGE please contact Nancy Miller.
Director: David Swartz, MD
The mission of CC2STEM is to offer a summer mentoring and research training experience to local community college students interested in investigating a future career in the biomedical sciences through a mentorship program that connects the CU Anschutz Medical Campus with neighboring community colleges.
Did you miss the information session on February 3rd and want to learn more? Click on the button below to watch the recording.
To be eligible for this program, applicants must:
Before beginning your application, please have the following information ready and completed:
Once you begin your application you will have the option to save your work, resume at a later time, and review your application before submitting it.
The application window is now closed.
For more information, please email: CRTEC@cuanschutz.edu
What is the University of Colorado American Cancer Society - Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR)?
The DICR Internship Program provides training and educational opportunities to encourage the pursuit of biomedical careers. The DICR program aims to improve diversity and inclusion in the cancer workforce by increasing the number of under-represented minorities (URM) trained as cancer researchers.
For 10 weeks, undergraduate-student interns engage in hands-on laboratory research and are mentored by accomplished investigators in cancer research labs at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
In addition to the ACS-sponsored activities, students enrolled in the ACS DICR program will participate in our NCI R25-funded Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. DICR students will be fully integrated into the existing CREU program structure. Complementing the hands-on cancer research experience, this will include twice-weekly lectures on various cancer-related topics, clinical translational workshops, a career roundtable session, and several social networking events: https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/colorado-cancer-center/education/undergraduate-education-opportunities/creu-program-resources. The list of mentors for both programs largely overlaps but the primary DICR mentors can be seen in the mentor table below.
What are the eligibility criteria for DICR interns?
Internship eligibility is guided by the NIH definition of underrepresented minorities in science based on race and ethnicity.
Applications open November 1, 2022.
Directors: Jennifer Richer, PhD, and John Tentler, PhD
Name, Degree, Title | Department, Institution | Research Focus |
---|---|---|
Maria Cecilia Caino, PhD Assistant Professor | Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine | Understanding the importance of mitochondria biology in metastatic breast and prostate cancer, with the long-term goal of identifying novel anti-metastatic targets Caino Research Lab |
Diana Cittelly, PhD Associate Professor | Department of Pathology, School of Medicine | Mechanisms that allow breast cancer cells to metastasize to the brain, with long-term goal of identifying alternative treatment options for patients with this -often terminal- diagnosis Cittelly Research Lab |
Lynn Heasley, PhD Professor | Craniofacial Biology, School of Dentistry | Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and protein kinase signaling networks in lung cancer, mesothelioma and head and neck cancer Research Profile |
Srinivas Ramachandran, PhD Assistant Professor | Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine | Developing cutting edge computational and experimental tools to uncover chromatin structure and dynamics using genomics Ramachandran Research Lab |
Jamie Studts, PhD Professor | Division of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine | Behavioral scientist with history of research studying implementation of lung cancer screening and psychosocial and behavioral aspects of lung cancer. Research Profile |
Raul Torres, PhD Professor | Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine | B cell development and antibody response, regulation of tumor immunity by lysophospholipids Research Profile |