ACS Undergraduate Program

Through funding from the American Cancer Society, this Cancer Research Program aims to develop a well-trained cancer research workforce capable of addressing complex, scientific questions and accelerating advancements in cancer research.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be rising undergraduate sophomores or juniors at a St. Louis area university
• Have an interest in any STEM discipline
• Maintain good academic standing with at least a 2.75 overall GPA
• Continue at full-time student status during the fall and spring semesters
• Not be enrolled in summer courses concurrent with the program
• Continue as an undergraduate for the duration of the program dates (applicants are ineligible for the program if their bachelor’s degree will be awarded before the program ends in May).

Stipend & Housing

Students will be provided a $7,000 stipend that will be disbursed in two payments on the last Friday of June and July.

Participants are responsible for their travel to St. Louis and housing. Housing is available on campus for out-of-town participants at summer term rates as space allows. 

Schedule

Cohort #5 Program Dates: May 27-August 1, 2025

• May – August: Intensive mentored research project, weekly research talks, weekly career development seminars, and ethics training. Summer research experiences will culminate in a final presentation of work conducted. Details from prior years’ final presentations may be found HERE.
• August – May: Cancer PhD Near-Peer Mentor Meetings; Monthly Cohort Meetings; Research-In-Progress Presentations; and other career development and networking opportunities.

Students’ daily schedules will depend on the research area in which they are working, but participants are expected to work approximately 40 hours per week during the 10 weeks in the summer.

Mentor Labs

Selected applicants will be matched with one of the following labs:

Jason Weber, PhD

Research Focus: The p53 protein requires communication between upstream activators in order to sense when a cell is under stress. One such activator is the ARF tumor supressor. These two proteins are among the most frequently affected genes in human cancer. We are interested in understanding the individual contribution of these proteins to the development of human cancers and how they may be regulated by upstream signals.

Carmen Bergom, MD, PhD

Research Focus: Improving the therapeutic ratio of radiation by understanding and minimizing radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction and improving tumor radiation responses.

Grant Challen, PhD

Research Focus: understanding how epigenetic marks such as histone methylation and acetylation, DNA methylation, and 5-hydroxymethylation co-ordinately act to regulate normal HSC function and how these processes go awry in hematopoietic diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. In order to explore these questions, we use various mouse genetic models to study the roles of genetic mutations of different components of the epigenetic machinery in cancers of the blood and bone marrow.

Dave Chen, MD, PhD

Research Focus: Defining the molecular drivers of premalignant states in skin cancer, examining factors associated with exceptional response to melanoma therapies, as well as determining risk of adverse effects associated with melanoma therapies.

David DeNardo, PhD

Research Focus: Identifying the molecular mechanisms by which malignant cells derail anti-tumor immune responses to instead favor immune programs that facilitate tumor progression to metastasis. Understanding the immune microenvironment in which tumor cells reside will allow for the identification of pharmacological targets that can be exploited to destroy malignant disease.

Jessica Silva-Fisher, PhD

Research Focus: Our research focuses on uncovering the role of RNA in cells and how it contributes to the development of diseases.​ Our mission is to explore and answer key questions in RNA biology, focusing on how it drives cancer metastasis, through innovative research in a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment.

Sheila Stewart, PhD

Research Focus: Cellular immortality is one of the defining characteristics of malignant growth. Therefore, understanding how cellular lifespan is controlled at the molecular level is a central theme in the laboratory. The telomere plays a central role in controlling cellular mortality. We are particularly interested in understanding how it is maintained. Delineating the signal transduction machinery that is responsible for monitoring the telomere and eliciting modifications of the telomere is of critical importance to understanding how incipient cancer cells obtain immortality.

Adetunji Toriola, MD, PhD

Research Focus: The major objectives of the Toriola Lab are to characterize the molecular basis and determinants of mammographic breast density in order to identify those that can be targeted in breast cancer prevention, especially in premenopausal women, and address methods for the use of biomarkers and their applications in cancer etiology and prognosis.

Application

1 – Online Application Form

Applications will remain open until March 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM CST.

2 – A single, combined PDF of the following items:

• Current Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• Transcript(s)
  • If applicable, please attach your graduate and/or medical transcript(s)
  • Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
  • Please note: Transcripts may include sensitive identifiers (e.g. SSN) – Please redact this information before uploading.

This single PDF file must contain both items (CV/resume and transcripts) and uploaded within the online application form to be considered.  Your file should be named as follows: first and last name, Summer 2025 (ex: Smith, Jane Summer 2025).

3 – Reference Letters 

Two letters of reference must be requested through our system and are due by March 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM CST.

We recommend that at least one of your two reference letters be from a STEM teacher or professor. Your references will be requested to address the following in their reference letter:

• • Identify for how long and at which career stage(s) you have known the applicant.
  • Describe the applicant’s qualifications in general cancer biology and/or translational cancer research.
  • Describe the applicant’s capacity to develop original ideas.
  • Describe the applicant’s performance in comparison to other students you have known.
  • Describe the applicant’s potential to become a successful scientist.
  • Describe if the applicant has worked in your laboratory, and the applicant’s scientific accomplishments.
  • Indicate any special circumstances that should be considered with respect to this applicant.

Applicant Review

Application materials, including reference letters, submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. Incomplete applications after the deadline will not move forward to the review process. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all materials have been received prior to the deadline. Complete applications that have been submitted by the deadline will be reviewed.  Those selected will be matched to research opportunities available at Siteman Cancer Center by the end of April.

Trainee Resources

Handbook

Calendar

Program Support

This program is funded by the American Cancer Society. More information is available on the American Cancer Society website.

Contact

[email protected]