PROVIDENCE – The Lifespan Cancer Institute is launching a new program to train high school students of color for a career in cancer research and medicine.
Using a $10 million multiyear grant from the Papitto Opportunity Connection, the institute announced Thursday that it is growing its cancer research efforts and launching the Future Gen Cancer Scholars program, which will allow 20 public high school students to shadow cancer clinicians at some of the state’s hospitals and research facilities.
“Lifespan and our affiliate hospitals are home to some of the country’s top minds in cancer care and complex hematology-oncology research, and thanks to the incredible generosity of the POC, we can further benefit the community by exposing more youth to careers in cancer medicine,” said Arthur J. Sampson, Lifespan Corp. interim CEO and president. “This is a tremendous, forward-thinking opportunity with the potential to not only save lives but to change lives in our community by giving local students a firsthand connection to the work of cancer scientists who are national leaders in their field.”
The Future Gen Cancer Scholars program aims to expose more young people of color to the field of cancer research, to address the lack of physicians of color in the state and build a health care landscape that reflects the communities it serves.
Every year, 20 students of color from Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls will be selected to participate in a six-week summer program, for two successive summers. The students will shadow doctors and scientists in inpatient and outpatient oncology settings at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and will have access to research laboratories at the Lifespan Cancer Institute and the Cancer Center at Brown University.
As part of the program, they will receive a stipend of $2,500 per summer and reimbursement for transportation expenses. Students will also receive mentorship for college preparation, and there will be a connection between the Rhode Island First Generation College Students administrator and school guidance counselors to assist with the college application and admissions process.
“The potential of this program is almost limitless – under the guidance and tutelage of our cancer experts, scholars will learn about oncologic and hematologic diseases and their management through practical, real patient experiences,” said Howard Safran, chief of hematology/oncology at Lifespan Cancer Institute, who developed the program. “That’s incredibly powerful, not only for our students but for our patients and our community, today and for the future. I cannot thank the Papitto Opportunity Connection enough for wanting to make this type of impact in our state.”
The $10 million grant also is helping enhance cancer research at Lifespan’s Coro Center in Providence and boosting recruiting efforts. The grant already contributed to the recruitment of Dr. Sendurai Mani, who joined the Lifespan Cancer Institute on Dec. 1 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the MD Anderson Cancer Institute.
“Throughout the United States, the number of persons of color who are doctors working in hematology and oncology [is] only a fraction of the medical profession,” said John Tarantino, managing trustee of the Papitto Opportunity Connection. “We want Rhode Island to change that narrative and be the nation’s leader in this area. When people don’t see doctors who look like they do, they often delay or even avoid treatment, leading to far greater negative health outcomes. It is our hope that by providing funding to both increase cancer research at Lifespan while at the same time exposing young people of color to professions in the medical field, we can encourage more young persons of color to enter these fields and ultimately save lives.”
To be eligible for the program, students must be Hispanic, Black, Native American or Indigenous people of color sophomores at a public high school in Providence, Central Falls or Pawtucket. The 20 students are selected by the program’s committee and are nominated by their high schools.
Applications are now open, and accepted students will be notified by April 2023. The first summer program will run from July 10 to Aug. 18.
“The Future Gen Cancer Scholars program is going to open doors for our students and allow them to make a difference in the rapidly growing and important field of cancer research,” said R.I. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “We share our gratitude with Lifespan and the Papitto Opportunity Connection for recognizing the need for our medical professionals to better reflect their communities and providing students with high-quality learning and mentorship opportunities.”
