Through the University of Colorado Cancer Center's Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU), every summer, selected college undergraduate fellows spend ten weeks in our laboratories at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. An R25CA240122 grant and the University of Colorado Cancer Center support the CREU program.
The goal of the program is to engage scientific curiosity in the next generation of scientists, challenging qualified college undergraduates to consider a cancer-related career in the future.
Additional participants in the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship program will form a cohort with fellows participating in CREU. For more information on the DICR Internship program, which will use the same application as CREU, click here.
November 1, 2024 – February 3, 2025: Program application open
February 3, 2025: Final application deadline (11:59 pm MT)
May 27 – August 1, 2025: CREU/DICR Program
Fellows must commit to completing program requirements. If you are selected as a fellow in either program (CREU or DICR), you must sign a Student Agreement committing to these requirements:
Orientation will be held on the first day of the program. This one-hour meeting is mandatory for all fellows (unless prior arrangements have been made). We will cover program requirements, training requirements, stipends, and more.
With the help of your mentor, you will write a two to three-page, double-spaced report describing the goals of your research project. The report is due within ten (10) days of your start date. Your mentor will also sign the report.
All fellows are required to attend twice-weekly lectures on various topics related to cancer research. Presenters will include mentors and faculty members. Topics will range from discussions on different cancer types and health disparities to effective research presentations. Attendance will be taken at these lectures.
These half-day workshops feature speakers from faculty and biotechnology companies on the CU Anschutz campus. These workshops aim to enhance the fellows’ research experience. They ​capitalize on the unique strengths and cancer training opportunities at CU Anschutz in personalized medicine/ molecular diagnostics, cancer genomics /bioinformatics, and experimental therapeutics/emerging technologies. Attending at least two of these workshops is required.
These informal discussions will be held during the ten weeks. Presenters and panel members will be drawn from faculty, postdoc trainees, and professional scientists in the community. Topics will include academic career trajectories, biotech/pharmaceuticals careers, life/work balance, and others as suggested by CREU/DICR participants. An informal Q&A session will follow each discussion.
All fellows will participate in the annual poster session on the last day of the program.
When you apply to be a CREU fellow/DICR intern, you will select four mentors you would like to work with and note them on your application. We make every effort to assign you to your first choice, but we may make alternative assignments based on mentor availability.
Projects are performed on the Anschutz Medical Campus.
Click on a mentor’s name to view their faculty profile or lab page.
*Projects are subject to change at any time. They are likely representative of what that person’s lab is doing, but not a guarantee of the actual project you will be performing.
Name | Department/School | Research Interests |
Michael Alberti, MD-PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Genetic and molecular basis of splicing factor gene mutations in clonal hematopoiesis and myeloid malignancies. |
Benjamin Bitler, PhD | Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology – School of Medicine | Disease progression and metastasis in ovarian cancer. |
Andrea Bonetto, PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Bone-liver-muscle interactions in colorectal cancer. |
Cecilia Caino, PhD | Department of Pharmacology – School of Medicine | Role of mitochondria biology in metastatic breast and prostate cancers. |
Akshay Chauhan, MD | Department of Surgery, Division of GI, Trauma, and Endocrine Surgery (GITES) – School of Medicine | Effectiveness of monoclonal antibody Miltuximab in targeting a protein biomarker for aggressive, advanced esophageal cancer. |
Diana Cittelly, PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Activation of transcription factors in breast cancer cells when interacting with cells within the brain tumor microenvironment; formation of pseudosynapsis between cancer cells and neurons in brain metastases. |
Zachary Clayton, PhD | Division of Geriatric Medicine – School of Medicine | We will be performing preclinical studies in mice to assess the adverse effects of cancer and chemotherapy treatment on the cardiovascular system and determining how high-intensity interval training may mitigate this response. |
Kasey Couts, PhD | Division of Medical Oncology – School of Medicine | The main focus of our current research is to understand and improve anti-tumor immunity in rare melanomas, particularly mucosal melanoma. We are studying signaling pathways in tumors that are critical for response to immunotherapy, and we are trying to determine the factors that influence these pathways such as tumor epigenetics and the microbiome. |
Eduardo Davila, PhD | Division of Medical Oncology – School of Medicine | Generation of potent and long-lasting tumor-specific T cell responses |
James DeGregori, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | Understanding how carcinogenic conditions promote cancer evolution and discovering pathway dependencies in cancers that can be exploited therapeutically. |
Elan Eisenmesser, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | We work on a range of enzymes involved in many cancers, such as metabolic enzymes and proteases. We have new projects that have begun to figure out mechanisms of granzyme activation, which may be attractive. |
Patricia Ernst, PhD | Department of Pharmacology – School of Medicine | The mechanisms that control the balance between self-renewing and differentiating hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) divisions are one major interest of our group. Since these processes are often deregulated in leukemia, we study molecular pathways in both normal and leukemic cells to better understand how proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation are disrupted by leukemia-associated fusion oncogenes. |
Joaquin Espinosa, PhD | Department of Pharmacology – School of Medicine | Understanding how gene networks control cell behavior in homeostasis and human disease. |
Xiying Fan, PhD | Department of Dermatology – School of Medicine | We anticipate working on projects focused on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) research, especially invasive cSCC. Specifically, we will explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of invasive cSCC, with an emphasis on identifying key factors and signaling pathways involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. |
Heide Ford, PhD | Department of Pharmacology – School of Medicine | My laboratory works on the parallels between normal development and tumor progression/metastasis. We study how cellular plasticity, mediated by alterations in transcription or translation, can allow cancer cells to survive and colonize secondary sites. We work in multiple tumor types, including breast cancer, brain tumors, and pediatric sarcomas. |
Mayumi Fujita, MD-PhD | Department of Dermatology – School of Medicine | Investigating biological roles and molecular regulations of 1) IL-37 in adaptive immunity, 2) IL-1b, inflammasomes, and autoinflammation in human melanoma, 3) genotoxic metabolites in melanocytes and skin cells, and 4) intra-tumoral heterogeneity and plasticity in melanoma. |
Michael Graner, PhD | Department of Neurosurgery – School of Medicine | Understanding tumor/host immune responses in immune suppression and immunotherapy development. |
Kirk Hansen, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | One of our main focuses is improving characterization of tissue extracellular matrices (ECM). We have been refining traditional biochemical extraction and digestion methods to improve proteomic coverage of insoluble and crosslinked proteins of the ECM. These methods are being used to obtain a more detailed view of tissue remodeling in wound healing, aging, cancer and fibrotic diseases in general. |
Masanori Hayashi, MD | Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplantation – School of Medicine | Research centers on innovative approaches to understanding and treating pediatric sarcomas, particularly osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. |
Lynn Heasley, PhD | Department of Craniofacial Biology – School of Dental Medicine | Our lab studies the role of the tumor microenvironment including diverse immune cells in regulating the response of murine models of lung adenocarcinoma to oncogene-targeted therapeutics. |
Curtis Henry, PhD | Department of Immunology & Microbiology - School of Medicine | The student will be attempting to define how aging or obesity impacts anti-tumor immunity and the efficacy of immunotherapies. |
Melanie Joy, PhD | Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences | A goal of this research program is focused on circumventing kidney injury and related morbidity and mortality due to medications, especially those pertaining to cancer treatments. The research in this area incorporates in vitro and in vivo studies. Specific areas of emphasis are 1) mitigation of kidney injury, 2) role of drug metabolism and transport in nephrotoxicity, 3) role of pharmacogenomics in kidney injury due to drugs. |
Aaron Johnson, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | The formation and regulation of chromatin domains and their roles in epigenetic genome regulation. |
Miria Kano, PhD | Department of Community and Behavioral Health – School of Public Health | Dr. Kano is a medical anthropologist whose cancer health disparities research focuses on healthcare access and delivery for cancer patients and caregivers minoritized as sexual and gender minority individuals, those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. Kano's research utilizes intersectional approaches to better understand how interrelated factors such as race/ethnicity, geography, poverty, and/or other social determinants of health may inform intervention development. As a secondary focus, Dr. Kano's research involves the design and implementation of equity education and training for cancer researchers and oncology providers. |
Laurel Lenz, PhD | Department of Immunology & Microbiology - School of Medicine | We have identified proteins produced by pathogenic, commensal, or probiotic bacteria that modulate immune responses. One of these proteins has shown promise in activation of anti-tumor immune responses in murine models. Some appear to dampen inflammatory responses. We are working to identify the mechanisms through which these proteins exert their effects so they (or the bacteria that produce them) can be better harnessed to treat or prevent cancers and other chronic diseases. |
Traci Lyons, PhD | Division of Medical Oncology - School of Medicine | Mechanisms of semaphorin 7a and lymphatic mediated metastasis of breast cancer utilizing mouse models to investigate developmentally regulated programs of inflammation and lymphangiogenesis. |
Carlo Marchetti, PhD | Division of Infectious Diseases – School of Medicine | Focusing on the NLRP3 inflammasome's role in cancer and inflammatory diseases, exploring its mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies. Key findings highlight how NLRP3 activation influences tumor microenvironments, mediates immune responses, and interacts with pathways like STAT3 in melanoma and breast cancer. |
Siddhartha Mitra, PhD | Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplantation – School of Medicine | Focusing on innovative therapeutic strategies and tumor biology in pediatric brain tumors, including MYC-driven medulloblastoma and childhood ependymoma. Investigating the effects of Tacedinaline (CI-994), a class I HDAC inhibitor, which targets tumor growth and leptomeningeal dissemination in medulloblastoma, enhancing susceptibility to anti-CD47-induced macrophage phagocytosis through NF-kB-driven inflammation. |
Joe Nassour, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | Our laboratory studies various aspects of telomere biology, with a specific focus on understanding how the shortening of telomeres during replicative aging creates barriers to cell proliferation and restricts the development of cancer. Our research entails a combination of advanced techniques in cell biology, molecular biology, and single-cell multiomics to explore the interplay between telomere function, innate immune signaling, and autophagy, and how these pathways work together to suppress the early stages of tumor development. |
Raphael Nemenoff, PhD | Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension – School of Medicine | Using an orthotopic mouse model of lung cancer to understand the cross-talk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment that mediates response to immunotherapy. |
Chad Pearson, PhD | Department of Cell & Developmental Biology – School of Medicine | Mechanisms of cytoskeleton disorganization in cancer. We study why centrosomes are commonly dysregulated in breast cancer cells and how this might be corrected. |
Todd Pitts, PhD | Division of Medical Oncology - School of Medicine | Finding rational combination partners for molecularly-targeted anticancer and immunotherapy agents. With a special interest in predictive biomarker and resistance mechanisms using correlative biological assays for early phase clinical trials. |
Rytis Prekeris, PhD | Department of Cell & Developmental Biology - School of Medicine | My lab works on molecular mechanism regulating breast cancer cell migration and invasion. |
Srinivas Ramachandran, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | Fundamental mechanisms that shape chromatin landscapes by mapping chromatin structure at high temporal and spatial resolution using new experimental and/or computational methods. |
Jennifer Richer, PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Breast cancer studies of hormone receptor action, tumor immunology and tumor metabolism that affect disease progression. |
Mercedes Rincon, PhD | Department of Immunology and Microbiology – School of Medicine | Investigating critical pathways in immunology, cancer, and metabolism, focusing on the roles of p38 MAPK, GSK3β, IL-6, and MCJ in T cell development and function. |
Abigail Rolbiecki, PhD | Department of Family Medicine – School of Medicine | Palliative and supportive care. Pain management. Caregiver interventions. |
Rebecca Schweppe, PhD | Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes – School of Medicine | Our lab focuses on kinase signaling in thyroid cancer. Our goal is to understand mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies to develop new more effective therapies to improve patient outcomes. |
Carol Sartorius, PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Understanding the regulation of HR+ breast cancer heterogeneity during endocrine resistance, the mechanisms of advanced ER+ breast cancer metastasis, nuclear receptor regulation of RNA polymerase III, and altered breast cancer cell metabolism with hormones and endocrine resistance. |
Natalie Serkova, PhD | Department of Radiology – School of Medicine | To characterize tumor habitat (cellular and molecular phenotype, tumor aggressiveness, and micro-environment) in mouse models of pediatric and adult brain tumor models using state-of-the-art non-invasive imaging (MRI, CT, PET/CT, optical imaging). |
Dan Sherbenou, MD-PhD | Division of Hematology – School of Medicine | Therapeutic optimization for multiple myeloma, especially for patients with drug-resistant and advanced disease to develop novel immunotherapies to myeloma, especially antibody-based therapies. |
Michael Sikora, PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Response and resistance to anti-estrogen therapies in lobular breast cancer. |
Jill Slansky, PhD | Department of Immunology and Microbiology – School of Medicine | Using a colon cancer animal model to identify “mimotope” peptides (mimics of epitopes) with improved antitumor immunity. |
Jamie Studts, PhD | Division of Medical Oncology - School of Medicine | Cancer prevention and control--behavioral science with a focus on lung cancer, including screening and survivorship. |
Meredith Tennis, PhD | Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care – School of Medicine | The Tennis lab is focused on lung cancer premalignancy and prevention, conducting experiments using cell and mouse models and human clinical trial samples. |
Sarah Tevis, MD | Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology – School of Medicine | Understanding the enduring physical and psychological side effects of breast cancer treatment, with the goal of improving the efficiency of care, patient safety, and patient outcomes after surgery for breast disease. |
Arianne Theiss, PhD | Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology – School of Medicine | Role and mechanism of mitochondrial signaling in intestinal epithelial cells in gastrointestinal diseases, specifically inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), colitis-associated cancer, and colorectal tumorigenesis. |
Richard Tobin, PhD | Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology – School of Medicine | My lab is interested in understanding the factors that lead to effective anti-tumor immunity. We have ongoing projects focusing on the role of unconventional T cells, immunosuppressive myeloid cells, and neo-adjuvant therapies in melanoma immunity. |
Linda van Dyk, PhD | Department of Immunology and Microbiology – School of Medicine | We study cancer-associated viruses, particularly interactions between virus and host and host immunity to chronic infection. |
Rajeev Vibhakar, MD-PhD | Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplantation – School of Medicine | Focusing on understanding and targeting pediatric brain tumors, particularly high-grade gliomas and medulloblastomas. We explore the complex interactions between tumor and immune cell types, revealing that these interactions contribute to the heterogeneous phenotypes observed in pediatric high-grade glioma. |
Beat Vögeli, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | Targeting macromolecules for cancer treatment at atomic resolution using NMR and further biophysical tools. |
Margaret Wierman, MD | Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes – School of Medicine | Research in our lab focuses on understanding the mechanisms of pituitary tumorigenesis and adrenocortical cancer using cell and animal models towards finding new treatments for our patients. |
Christian Young, PhD | Department of Pathology - School of Medicine | Identifying and targeting critical molecular mediators of transformation and metastasis in Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). |
Ning Zhao, PhD | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics - School of Medicine | My lab studies the regulation of translation and co-translational folding in health and diseases. We apply a state-of-the-art imaging technology to direct visualize translation and co-translational folding with high spatiotemporal resolution in live cells. |
Growing up in Windsor, Colorado, Elijah Johnson thought he would grow up to be a professional musician. He never considered a career as a biomedical researcher. But that all changed when his mother was diagnosed with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer.
→ Read Elijah's Story Here.
CU Anschutz
Anschutz Cancer Pavilion
1665 North Aurora Court
2004
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-0300