Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program



The Pediatric Oncology Education program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is funded by the National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute. The POE program offers a unique opportunity for students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, and veterinary medicine to gain biomedical and oncology research experience. The POE program provides a short-term training experience (internship) in either laboratory research or clinical research.

A primary goal of the program is to encourage students to pursue a career in cancer research, either as a laboratory-based scientist or a physician scientist. Thus, qualified students with an interest in cancer research are particularly encouraged to apply.

Departments or divisions include anesthesiology (2 positions for medical students only), behavioral medicine (psychology majors), biochemistry, chemical biology & therapeutics, developmental neurobiology, diagnostic imaging (medical students and physics majors only), epidemiology and cancer control (medical students), genetics, hematology, oncology (clinical positions for medical students, lab positions for others), immunology, infectious diseases, international outreach (Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic fluency required), molecular pharmacology, neuro-oncology (medical student only), nursing research (nursing majors only), pathology, pharmaceutical sciences, radiation oncology (medical students and physics majors only), and structural biology.

Students participating in the Pediatric Oncology Education program will receive training in a superb academic environment created by the interaction of committed basic scientists, research-oriented physicians, and postdoctoral fellows. Depending on their special interests, trainees will spend their rotations in a clinical research or a laboratory research setting. Trainees will be matched with a faculty mentor who shares their research interests and will participate in the mentor's ongoing research projects. Trainees are required to attend a core lecture series ("Lunch & Learn") designed specifically for them, as well as other weekly St. Jude conferences, including leukemia-lymphoma conference and tumor board.

Fifty-nine US citizens studying at 52 schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia participated in POE 2009. Their average undergraduate gpa was 3.80 on a 4.0 scale. They included 14 medical students, 41 undergraduates (including May 2009 graduates), two PharmD students, and two graduate students. The 41 undergraduates included six who had just completed their sophomore year of college; all others were further along in their academic careers. Nine 2009 participants were prior POE students returning for an additional POE rotation.

Please note that the POE program is a PRE doctoral program. Anyone who has an MD is NOT eligible for the POE program and should NOT apply. MDs who have completed residency training in Pediatrics may be eligible for our Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Training Program. Qualified non-US physicians may be eligible to visit St Jude through our International Outreach Program.

Duration of Training

The minimum time requirements are: 9 weeks at St. Jude for students currently in medical school, 10 weeks for returning POE students, and 11 weeks for all others. Longer (up to 13 weeks) is possible for those wanting a longer appointment. The student's daily schedule will depend on the research area in which they are working, but the student is expected to work full-time (i. e. forty hours per week). There are no specific start and end dates for the program, but students should plan to start on a Monday (Tuesday, if Monday is a holiday) in May or June and finish on a Friday in August.

Requirements

Trainees MUST be a United States citizen, non-citizen national, or possess a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States (required by the funding organization). Most POE students are highly qualified undergraduate or graduate students preparing for careers in medicine or biomedical sciences. A few are attending or have been accepted into a medical, dental, pharmacy, or nursing school. POE students MUST have an undergraduate gpa of at least a 3.4/4.0 in math and science (biology, chemistry, physics) AND at least a 3.4 overall. Graduate students and medical students must also meet the undergraduate gpa requirements. POE students will have completed at least their sophomore year of college when they begin the program. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to these requirements.

Salary and Housing

The salary will be $8.00 per hour. Group housing close to our campus will be available at no cost for POE students coming from outside the Memphis metropolitan area to participate in the program. We do not provide paid family housing.

Laboratory Research Training

Trainees engaged in laboratory research work in one of the many interesting and important areas of St. Jude oncology research. Some examples of ongoing basic science projects are studies on  Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hematopoietic growth factors and receptor signaling; cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and the relationship between gene mutations and drug resistance. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacology research involves studies of both current and new drugs and their effects on childhood cancers. Trainees gain valuable experience in basic molecular laboratory research techniques, including cloning, cell culture, sample preparation and performing assays. They may do computer research data processing and analysis under their mentor's guidance. 

Clinical Research Training

Medical students will work in clinical research with physicians and staff in areas such as chart review, record screening and examination, data collection and entry. Medical students may, under faculty supervision, attend clinics and observe procedures. Trainees may perform computer research data processing and analysis under their mentor's guidance. Medical students or undergraduates with computer skills may choose diagnostic imaging projects such as MR image analysis, radiation oncology projects such as 3D treatment planning or portal image processing, or international outreach web-based project development. Nursing students will work on nursing research projects.

Oral and Written Reports

At the end of appointment, all participants are required to make a PowerPoint presentation on their research project. They are also required to submit a written report on their research project in the style of a journal in which their mentor publishes.

Deadline

Qualified students may apply now for POE 2010. The deadline for receipt of ALL POE 2010 application materials is February 1, 2010. Items postmarked, faxed or emailed (letters only) no later than February 1, 2010 will be accepted. Early submission of credentials is encouraged, since students who apply late run a high risk of not getting all their credentials in by the deadline. We expect approximately 600 applicants for POE 2010, of whom we anticipate being able to accept 50.

Members of under-represented ethnic minority groups and women are especially encouraged to apply, since a major long-term goal of our program is to increase the diversity of persons engaged in oncology research and practice. Under-represented minority sophomores and juniors will be considered for appointment as CURE (Comprehensive Umbrella of Research Experiences) Scholars, in addition to their appointment as a POE student.

Learn more about St. Jude and our research programs

Applicants should visit our web site to identify departments in which they would like to work. Our latest scientific report is available online. See related topics. Also see related topics for faculty list and list of Academic Departments. The Pediatric Oncology Education Program application form  should be filled out and submitted online. Hard copy applications will NOT be accepted.

For further information contact:
Suzanne Gronemeyer, PhD, Director,
Pediatric Oncology Education Program
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 304
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
suzanne.gronemeyer@stjude.org
901-595-2488 Phone
901-595-3292 FAX


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