ENRICH Summer Cancer Research Experience

The ENRICH (ENhancing Research In Cancer-related Health professions) Program is an intensive mentored 10-week in-person summer research program supported by the National Cancer Institute to educate and train currently enrolled graduate-level students in cancer research. The goal of the program is to immerse trainees in the scientific process, foundational discovery, multidisciplinary translation frameworks, and the breadth of opportunities for careers that include cancer research, while capitalizing on the environment and commitment from the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Things to Know

  • The ENRICH Program will support up to 30 medical, dental and master-level graduate students per year.
  • ENRICH Trainees must be United States citizens or permanent residents. All currently enrolled medical, dental, and master-level graduate students from a diverse spectrum of disciplines including public health, basic science, health professions, nursing, and pharmacy from UAB and Samford University are eligible to apply. Current students must be between years 1 and 2 of their respective programs. We are unable to fund students from institutions other than UAB or Samford at this point.
  • ENRICH Mentors are faculty with an active cancer research focus scientifically integrated in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
  • The ENRICH program is stipend is $4,650 for 10 weeks of full-time, on-site effort with Weeks 1 and 10 being remote to accommodate student schedules. Students will be paid biweekly via direct deposit. Students must complete ethics training and responsible conduct of research training before starting their research in May.
  • ENRICH trainees will need to attend a weekly in-person seminar. These seminars will cover personal, professional, and communication development topics and these hours will count towards the full-time hours.
  • ENRICH trainees are required to submit a written abstract and a scientific poster. Guidance will be provided for both of these deliverables.
  • The ENRICH Program Research Symposium serves as the final in-person meeting at the end of July and an opportunity for all trainees to present their scientific posters. ENRICH trainees will also have the opportunity to give a short oral presentation on their research. There will be 2 $500 travel awards for the two highest rated posters and 2 $500 travel awards for the two highest rated oral presentations.
  • ENRICH mentors will submit project descriptions in mid-December to the ENRICH website. Trainee candidates will submit applications starting at the same time. Potential ENRICH trainees must fill out the trainee application form in order to receive the password for the ENRICH Research Experiences page.
  • Trainee candidates are responsible for identifying ENRICH mentored projects of interest, connect with associated project mentors, and select their ENRICH mentored research project. ENRICH mentors will contact the ENRICH Program when the trainee has been identified and that particular ENRICH mentored research project will be closed to other applicants.
  • ENRICH mentors are responsible for all regulatory approvals (i.e. IRB, IACUC, etc.) and must obtain approval for the trainee by April 30th.
  • POTENTIAL ENRICH STUDENTS: PLEASE FILL OUT THE TRAINEE APPLICATION FORM HERE

Please direct any questions to UABENRICH@uabmc.edu. Thank you for your interest in ENRICH!