Cancer Research Education Program

Program Overview

You can fight cancer! Many students in STEM fields are missing out on opportunities to contribute to the fight simply because they’ve never thought about it. Therefore, the goal of the Cancer Research Education Program (C-REP) is to introduce you to how your study fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, math or life sciences can impact the search for the cure for cancer.

C-REP is a component of a new collaboration of the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) and the Baylor College of Medicine NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (BCM-DLDCCC): the Alliance for Cancer Drug Discovery/Development and Education (ACD₃E). The C-REP program supports the training of underrepresented* (UR) undergraduate and graduate students. C-REP aims to encourage and prepare students to enter careers in cancer research by providing hands-on, mentored cancer research experiences, development of cancer-specific curricula, and cancer-focused community outreach activities.

*NIH defines an underrepresented student in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences as a student with disabilities, a student from disadvantaged background, or a student from racial and ethnic groups such as Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

"As an undergraduate, and even more so as a first-generation college student, I felt lost on how to start my career or even how to be more appealing to graduate schools. C-REP has helped me not only with finding a mentor in the research that I am interested in, but they also informed me of different routes to graduate programs. Overall, this program has changed my academic experience by tapping into a wealth of resources and a connective community of professionals that aide me in achieving my long term goals."
— Julio Pineda, UH Biochemistry undergraduate/Summer Research Volunteer

Tell us about yourself

All students interested in the program should complete an interest form.

Preparation for your cancer research experience

As a trainee in a research lab, you will need to develop skills to effectively work with your lab mentor and other members of the research team. The National Research mentoring Network (NRMN) has developed evidence-based curricular resources designed to empower trainees to excel in their research experience and to provide trainees with the "tools" they need to navigate their mentoring relationships.

To help prepare you for a productive cancer research experience, C-REP participants will have the opportunity to participate in NRMM training modules. The content of each module in this curriculum is designed to address the key concerns and challenges identified by research mentors and trainees.