Public Summary of Progress
The CSUN-UCLA Stem Cell Scientist Training Program provides a practical laboratory training experience in stem cell biology with integrated educational seminars and mentored guidance for highly qualified and culturally diverse junior and senior undergraduate students. Our internship-host institution, UCLA, provided the intensive hands-on research training that included embryonic, induced pluripotent, and adult stem cell biology, focusing on translational and directly relevant clinical research. The trainee internships achieved the major Bridges2.0 Program objectives including: 1) training laboratory personnel in current stem cell research techniques, policies, and ethics, 2) immersing students in patient advocacy and community outreach education, and 3) facilitating the entry of an ethnically and culturally diverse student population into the emerging world of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
One hundred eighteen Bridges trainees (70 Bridges and 48 Bridges2.0) have studied the latest advances in stem cell biology and have presented their own work in many settings including symposia at UCLA, CSUN, WCBSURC, and ISSCR. The vast majority of intern time has been spent on laboratory research. Working with faculty, researchers, and staff technicians, Bridges interns became experts in stem cell biology and essential analysis techniques such as microscopy, cell sorting, and good laboratory practices (GLP) in the internship-host lab and affiliated cores. This hands-on experience was supplemented by participation in a biweekly Stem Cell Journal Club, a weekly stem cell seminar series, a yearly International Stem Cell Symposium, and by informal mentoring by host-institution faculty who have an active role in the student’s education by functioning as advisor, teacher, and collaborator during the internship program. Trainees participated in patient advocacy and multiple virtual educational outreach events where they worked with middle and high school students, inspiring and educating them about stem cell research. A key component of our program was trainee mentoring from both CSUN and host institution mentors that has provided a supportive environment for learning and discovery, and has monitored and evaluated the trainees’ progress through the program at both the home and internship-host institution.
Our program has been extremely successful in post-internship stem cell related activities for our trainees. Twenty-one trainees have gone on to PhD programs (8 undergraduates to Masters programs), 14 to Medical Schools, 4 to other professional schools, 72 in academic and industry jobs relating to stem cell research, and 6 completing their degrees. Sixty-three of our students are NIH underrepresented minorities and another forty-three are culturally diverse students.