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Poster Session Showcases Student Cancer Research
CDU and the David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine held the 2022 Undergraduate Cancer Research and Training Program ( UCRTP ) poster session in early September . During the event , undergraduate students from across the country presented on the cancer research they have conducted over the summer at CDU and UCLA .
“ We bring the students in with the intent to ensure they acquire the knowledge , skills , and attitudes to become proficient in cancer health disparities research ,” said Dr . Jay Vadgama , Vice President for Research and Health Affairs at CDU and Director of the Center for Cancer Health Disparities . “ Making these programs available allows for development of successful and competent cancer researchers who will make an impact on our ability to reduce and eliminate cancer health disparities among racial and ethnic minority and socio-economically disadvantaged populations .”
UCRTP is a 12-week program designed for undergraduate students across the country who are interested in pursuing a career in biomedical sciences . An individualized program is offered to each undergraduate participant , who is paired to work with a faculty investigator and associates at CDU or UCLA Laboratories on a selected cancer research project .
Topics covered in the poster session included “ Development of PDI Inhibitors for Breast Cancer ,” “ The Anti-obesity Effect of Arctigenin with EGCG ,” and “ Effect of Vitamin D on Breast Cancer cell growth and cytokine secretion .”
“ The poster event was significant in that it provided a culmination of the many hours of research we had conducted all summer and introduced us to more of the world of research ,” said Shawn Levy , a senior in the Bachelors of Science , Biomedical Sciences program . “ Though I plan to work in a more clinical setting , seeing all the time , effort , and repetition that goes into research allowed me to really appreciate that aspect of medicine .”
The CDU / UCLA Cancer Center Partnership to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities was established in 2003 to address issues related to the unequal burden of cancer in underrepresented and underserved populations in South Los Angeles .