The Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) Summer Internship Program, in collaboration with the University of California Berkeley (UCB) provides an immersive experience designed to stimulate young people’s interest in science and encourage them to pursue careers in biomedical research. The CHORI program celebrated it’s 37th consecutive year of training this summer, this longevity along with it’s popularity, and outcomes demonstrate a track record of success. Our rigorous scientific training curriculum and focus on students from underrepresented populations is consistent with the goals of CIRM’s SPARK program.
Given CHORI’s proximity to and relationship with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (BCHO), there are rich opportunities for both patient engagement and translational research. Its historical success with discovering and pioneering stem cell therapies for blood diseases is evidence of this synergy. CHORI’s relationship with the nearby UC Berkeley Stem Cell Center continues to provide even greater diversity of stem cell research opportunities for trainees.
In this second year of our grant, we again recruited 6 high school trainees from underrepresented groups (3 Female, 2 Asian, 2 Latino, 1 African, 1 mixed race; 3 low income, 3 first in family to attend college). These trainees integrated into our existing 9-week curriculum with additional Basic Science “Boot-Camp” (during Week 1) preparation for their intensive laboratory experience. By the end of the summer, all Light-a-SPARK participants meet the following learning objectives:
• Became familiar with the scientific literature in their research area
• Learned about the scientific method and medical ethics (renewed focus this summer)
• Formulated and tested a research question
• Collected, analyzed, and interpreted data; presented results
• Discovered multiple paths to pursue a research careers
Trainees spent roughly 80% of their time conducting research in a lab under the direction of their scientific mentor to develop an understanding of what it’s like to actually “do” research. Before starting their lab-based research project, they passed a lab safety skills test, an online ethics course, and then submitted a 3-page written research plan for review, including a hypothesis, aims, methods, and anticipated outcomes. The educational component of the internship made up the remaining 20% of their time, which they spent in seminars, discussion groups, and didactic presentations intended to impart a strong foundation in biomedical research and provide practical advice for pursuing a research career. Trainees meet as a group every Thursday afternoon from 3:00-5:15 pm for the educational curriculum and to discuss their research with their peers. They were also encouraged to participate in their respective lab group meetings and to attend journal club discussions.
Additionally, SPARK students attended presentations and workshops that were specific to stem-cell research, listened to bone marrow transplant (BMT) donors and recipients share their personal experiences, assisted with BMT donor events, participated in patient engagement activities such as writing letters to pediatric BMT survivors and blogged about their experiences throughout summer. 83% of students rated their mentors as excellent or above average. At the end of the program, SPARK students had gains in 17 out of 21 skills or experiences, some of the greatest gains were observed in their understanding of how scientists think and work on real life problems, understanding of research processes, their ability to integrate theory and practice and their understanding of their career path.
On the program’s last day all trainees participated in the CHORI Student Research Symposium, designed to provide the experience of presenting at a professional scientific conference. Roughly 300 CHORI and BCHO faculty, families, and friends were in attendance for annual event. Students presented their work in either an oral or poster format in front of their mentors, colleagues friends and family. Awards were distributed to the students with the best oral and poster presentations. For a complete description about the program, student biographies, photos and abstracts, the 2018 CHORI Summer Symposium abstract book can be downloaded from:
http://www.chori.org/Education/Downloadables/Symposium%20Guides/2018_Book_web.pdf