A standing-room-only audience of Cleveland high school students and their families attended orientation for the 20th Annual Scientific Enrichment and Opportunity (SEO) and Youth Engaged in Science (YES) programs on June 5. Students were treated to an inspirational and motivational address by Edward Barksdale, MD, professor at CWRU and Surgeon-in-Chief at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
Founded in 2004 by Nathan Berger, MD, member of Case CCC's Population and Cancer Prevention Program, the program was recently renewed for an NCI-funded, five-year, R25 support grant. The program aims to engage and excite high school students in underrepresented minority groups to pursue careers in biomedical, cancer research, and healthcare delivery—thus increasing diversity in the cancer research and healthcare workforces and contributing to the elimination of cancer disparities.
This year, 86 high school students and six teachers representing 31 Northeast Ohio high schools, eight located in the City of Cleveland, will conduct individually-mentored research programs in the laboratories of CWRU faculty, with capstone poster presentations scheduled for July 27.
In addition to support from the Case CCC and the Case Center for Science, Health and Society, the program has been supported by local philanthropy and more recently by the National Cancer Institute.