Saturday, May 17, 2025
5/17/2025
PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY EDUCATION (YEARS 38 - 42) - Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death in childhood from medical conditions in the US. Thus, pediatric cancer education is important for pediatricians and family medicine physicians, so that cancer can be diagnosed early, when it is most curable. Cancer research is vital to developing cancer cures. Since 1978, our Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) program has provided knowledge and experience to motivate promising students to consider careers in cancer research and related areas. Particular attention is given to including students from groups under-represented among oncology scientists and clinicians. Program participants are outstanding pre-doctoral biomedical science and health professions students interested in oncology careers. All participants are US citizens or permanent residents who can be at St. Jude for either 10 weeks (medical students) or 11 weeks (all others). They are matched with a St. Jude faculty mentor with similar research interests and participate in the mentor’s ongoing research program. They attend institutional research conferences and a daily Lunch & Learn series designed specifically for them. They shadow an oncologist and observe in surgery. They give a PowerPoint presentation on their research project in the Lunch & Learn series and submit a project manuscript written in the style for submission to a journal in which their mentor publishes. The POE program is advertised by our web site, by email to over 6,000 US university science faculty and cancer researchers at ~600 US universities and research institutions, and by St Jude Academic Programs recruiters at numerous major scientific meetings, including the major under-represented-minority (URM) science student meetings. Each year, about 500 students apply for the program. The 2019 acceptance rate was 9.1% (49 of 537 applicants), and the class average undergraduate GPA was 3.8. Of the 286 participants in 2015-2019, 52 (18.2 %) were URM, and 186 (65.0%) were females. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel our 2020 program. Our 2021 program will provide remote virtual research experiences. Ongoing evaluation of the program is provided by pre- and post-experience testing of the student’s knowledge of pediatric cancer and related areas, and by post-experience surveys completed by all students and mentors. Experienced cancer educators from prominent cancer centers review the program as on-site consultants. We have long-term follow-up for 1,354 (99.3%) of 1363 alumni. Of the 1,151 alumni who have completed their academic degree work, 991 (86.1%) hold a doctorate, including 211 (79.9%) of the 264 URM in the cohort. Alumni include 55 PhDs, 29 MD/PhDs, and 5 PharmD/PhDs. Another 61 are currently in a PhD, MD/PhD, or PharmD/PhD program. POE alumni include 34 pediatric oncologists, 18 medical oncologists, 34 surgical, radiation, or gynecological/urological oncologists, and 12 medical physicists. 1997-2019 program participants are co-authors on some 440 peer-reviewed St. Jude publications. PI/PD Suzanne Gronemeyer, PhD is a Margaret Hay Edwards Medalist and a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Education.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).