College Students Explore Cancer Research at Arkansas INBRE Workshop
| Undergraduates from 14 schools across the country had the opportunity to explore the field of cancer research at a UAMS workshop sponsored by the Arkansas INBRE (IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence).
Held May 28 in the UAMS Library, the “Bench to Bedside: Breakthroughs in Cancer Research and Therapy Workshop” attracted nearly 30 students interested in pursuing careers in medicine and/or biomedical research. The participants ranged from incoming sophomores to recent graduates.
“Today is as much about learning about career paths and understanding how basic science ideas ultimately lead into the clinic,” said Jerry Ware, Ph.D., program coordinator of Arkansas INBRE and professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.
Students from 14 colleges across three states attended the Arkansas INBRE Cancer Workshop at UAMS on May 28.
Nine research members of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute who also serve as faculty in the UAMS colleges of Medicine and Public Health and the UAMS Graduate School engaged with students in a series of roundtable discussions. Faculty included Jason Farrar, M.D..; Alicia Byrd, Ph.D.; Alan Tackett, Ph.D.; Sean Taverna, Ph.D.; Rangaswamy Govindarajan, M.D.; Ping-Ching Hsu, Ph.D.; Brian Koss, Ph.D.; Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D.; and Samantha Kendrick, Ph.D.
Topics of discussion ranged from translational research aimed at developing new diagnostics and treatments for brain tumors to ways to improve immunotherapy response in cancer.
Cancer research is an exciting new area of interest for Paige Spicer, a rising junior at Ouachita Baptist University who attended the workshop. Spicer developed a passion for science and research several years ago when her younger sister was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
“I became very interested in the science and research progress being made for my sister’s condition,” said Spicer, who is immersed in cancer research as an intern in the laboratory of Brendan Frett, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the UAMS College of Pharmacy and a member of the Cancer Institute’s Cancer Therapeutics Research Program.
“I loved having the opportunity to hear from different departments who are all involved in cancer research at the workshop,” Spicer said. “It was interesting to see how people from all different areas of expertise are working together to advance cancer research and to talk to different people and learn about their career paths.”
Students from three out-of-state colleges — Scripps College and Harvey Mudd College, both located in Claremont, California, and Hope College in Holland, Michigan — attended the workshop. In addition to Ouachita Baptist, Arkansas schools represented included Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, Harding University, Hendrix College, Lyon College, the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
A highlight of the workshop was a panel discussion on the new cancer-focused curriculum offered by the UAMS Graduate School and supported by the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. The program, initiated by Sean Taverna, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School, and Samantha Kendrick, Ph.D., professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, combines hands-on lab experience with foundational coursework to better prepare students for their future careers in cancer research. Karl Boehme, Ph.D., director of the UAMS Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences and associate professor in College of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, also served as a panelist.
“We’re looking for the next generation of scientists,” Taverna told the students. “In reviewing more than 300 applications for 30 graduate school spots, it’s important that we know you are really interested in research and why.”
The Arkansas INBRE program supports research in public and private four-year colleges across Arkansas by building research capacity and raising awareness about career opportunities in biomedical research. It is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional Development Award (IDeA), which was established to broaden the geographic distribution of NIH funding for biomedical and behavioral research.