Providing a Training Ground in Cancer Research
(Fall 2004)

An important commitment expected of all National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers is providing training and education for individuals in cancer research. This research training covers the entire education spectrum including high school, undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, and practicing scientists and clinicians.

For many years the Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i has trained and educated post-doctoral researchers and practicing scientists, physicians, and nurses. Several years ago, a formalized training program was stared for undergraduate and graduate students.

The Meiji summer internships for undergraduate and graduate students began in 2001 and are funded by the Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Company. In the summer of 2004 the summer interns were Lara Atwater (mentored by Dr. Brian Issell), Rochelle Lacey (mentored by Dr. Suzanne Murphy), Harvir Singh (mentored by Dr. Gertraud Maskarinec), and Stella Wenceslao and Kara Wong (mentored by Dr. Carolyn Gotay).

A newer research internship program called the CURE Program is geared toward the training of minority students. It is funded by the National Institutes of Health and began the summer of 2003. This program has the capacity to train students during the summer only or during the school year. Two returning students during the past summer were Kiana Frank, a senior at Kamehameha Schools, and Jill Harunaga, a sophomore at USC and a former Cancer Center Senior Research Award recipient at the Hawai‘i State Science and Engineering Fair for two consecutive years. Both students are currently being mentored by Dr. Alan Lau.

Other students who participated in the CURE Program in 2004 were Benjamin Tyau under Dr. Joe Ramos, Fabrizio Galimberti under Dr. Marcus Tius, Kamehameha Schools student Andrew Knudson with Dr. Loic Le Marchand, and Pedro Haro-Arvizu with Dr. Lisa Sanchez-Johnsen.

In the Meiji summer internship and CURE programs, the students receive hands-on training and experience as they work alongside researchers and their staffs. Dr. Lau is Director of Research Training at the Cancer Center and Dr. Robert Cooney, Associate Director who coordinates both programs.

In addition to research education and training of students, the Cancer Center has been host to a number of local summer programs involving college and high school students. Also in 2004, the Straub Foundation summer research program for undergraduate students and sophomore to senior students from the Kamehameha Schools’ gifted students summer science program, with advisors Larry Mordan and Gail Ishimoto, visited the Cancer Center. This is mutually beneficial for all parties as the students learn about the Center and its research activities, and the Center has an opportunity to interest potential candidates for its training programs. For the first time students and advisors from the Waipahu High School Area Health Education Center (AHEC) visited the Cancer Center. The AHEC program, affiliated with the University of Hawai‘i College of Health Sciences, provides its students with the chance to learn about career opportunities in the health and science fields.