Undergraduate Summer Research Experience
Summer 2025 UTHealth Houston - Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
Innovation in Cancer Prevention Research Experience for Undergraduates
June 2nd through August 8th, 2025
Stipends for 10 weeks are $6,000, fully funded by the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas grant.
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Do you like to think outside of the box?
This quality cancer education and career development program offers placements with accomplished researchers at the McGovern Medical School and MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston, and the UTHealth Houston McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, and the School of Public Health in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Brownsville, and El Paso.
The program’s unique focus on helping trainees learn to ask important research questions and apply cutting-edge methods to stimulate innovative thinking to their projects.
Applications for trainee positions will open soon! Check back for updates
Interviews are typically from late February through March
The first round of decisions begins in the first week of March
Applications for faculty mentors will open soon! Check back for updates
Questions? Email [email protected]
About CPRIT - http://www.cprit.state.tx.us/
Undergraduate Trainee Comments and Trainee Publications
“I really appreciated not only doing the scientific research but also the training we received on innovation and public speaking. I also enjoyed going to the research poster/speech event before going to the mid-course dinner. The program was excellent and I would recommend it to others.”
“I loved this program. Great program for undergraduates to see into the world of research through great mentors.”
“All in all a wonderful experience, I learned a lot.”
“Overall, the experience in this program was excellent!”
What will trainees be doing?
Work with UTHealth Houston faculty mentors and their research teams for 10 weeks to complete a research project in cancer prevention and incorporate Tools for Innovation.
Each week, you will engage in research, cancer seminars, and professional development workshops Monday through Friday from 8 am - 5 pm.
Take the Massive Open Online Course on innovative thinking by Roberta B. Ness, MD, MPH, who literally wrote the book(s) on innovation.
Click on the photo below to see Dr. Ness’ TEDx Houston talk, "Innovative thinking: Can you be taught?"
Do puzzles, problem-solving, and exercises in the review sessions anchored by senior doctoral and postdoctoral fellows.
Attend seminars led by faculty on ongoing cancer research.
Perfect skills in scientific presentations.
In our Closing Ceremony, all trainees will present posters on their research projects, and finalists will compete in the elevator speech finals
Review the 2021 Poster Winners.
Watch the 2019 Elevator Speech Audition Videos:
2nd Place Winner
2024 Project profiles
Mentors have proposed cancer-related projects that provide a wide variety of experiences. Mentor’s CVs are posted on the websites of their schools.
Austin
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health-Austin Campus
Courtney Byrd-Williams, PhD Matched
Project: Extreme heat and preschooler activity during outdoor play in the childcare setting
San Antonio
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health-San Antonio Campus
Jack Tsai, PhD Matched
Project: Providing health preventative services in laundromats
Brownsville
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health-Brownsville Campus
Belinda Reininger, PhD Matched
Project: Your Health Matters in the Rio Grande Valley
Houston
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health-Houston Campus
Irene Tami-Maury, PhD Matched
Project: Tailored cancer prevention and control efforts targeting sexual and gender minority groups
Lara Savas, PhD Matched
Project: Salus en Mis Manos (SEMM): Community-engaged approach to inform and disseminate SEMM evaluation reports to community stakeholders
Ross Shegog, PhD Matched
Project: Health Native Youth: HPV among AI/AN youth
UTHealth Houston McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics
Muhammad Amith, PhD (1) Matched
Project: Developing informatics tools for social and behavioral sciences in service of cancer prevention research
Muhammad Amith, PhD (2) Matched
Project: Improving Patient-Provider Communication and Relationship Towards Cancer Prevention in Dental Care
Yang Gong, MD, PhD Matched
Project: Empowering patients taking oral anti-cancer agents
Kirk Roberts, PhD Matched
Project: How can Large Language Models help prevent cancer?
UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School
Arash Kamali, PhD Matched
Project: The Use of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values in Differentiating Avastin-Related Cytotoxicity from Tumor Recurrence and Radiation Necrosis in Glioblastoma
UTHealth Houston Cizik School of Nursing
Stacey Crane, PhD Matched
Project: Development of a Web-Based Interface to Support Self/Parent Symptom Assessments for Children with Cancer
Janet Van Cleave, PhD Matched
Project: Implementing the Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) for Head and Neck Cancer at UTHealth Houston
TIRR Memorial Hermann
Lex Frieden, MA, LLD Matched
Project: Cancer Survivorship and Disability Identity
How to apply
Trainee applications for summer 2025 will open soon!
All application materials (including one letter of recommendation, CV/Resume, required essay, unofficial transcripts, and the online application) will be due in January 2025.
Eligibility requirements:
- Open to all undergraduates except seniors graduating before Fall 2025.
- Minimum 3.0 GPA required
- Students must reside in Texas during the summer program to receive a $6,000 stipend
- Applicants who are the first in their family to attend college, have faced financial hardship, or were underserved, and students with disabilities, are highly encouraged to apply
Semi-finalists will be notified by early February 2025.
Trainee interviews for final selection will be conducted in late February through March 2025.
Questions?
If you have additional questions or would like more information about CPRIT Summer Undergraduate Research, please contact:
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Patricia Dolan Mullen, DrPH, MLSDirector and Professor, Department of Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences |
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Sahiti Myneni, PhDAssociate Director and Associate Professor, Department of Clinical & Health Informatics |
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Daniel Harrington, PhDAssociate Professor, Department of Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences |
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Dezze'Mona DavisProgram Manager |
How to apply to be a mentor
We will soon begin accepting mentor applications for summer 2025.
Guide for writing short a description of the trainee’s project.
Comments from previous Mentors
"I have participated in the CPRIT Undergraduate Research Experience for the last few years and each time I find it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. The students get exposed to cutting edge approaches and topics in biomedical research, and the mentors get the satisfaction of introducing modern research to their trainees. In addition, the program really teaches the students to approach their research with an eye to innovation and impact. Most of the students that I have interacted with have found this program to be extremely useful in defining their future career goals."- Jeffrey Frost, PhD
"Through the CPRIT Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, our entire team was urged to expand our viewpoints and reach for novelty in every aspect of our student’s project. We held a clear vision of our project goal, but let the methods for reaching that goal remain fluid. On the first day that our student arrived, she and I sat in my office and made a plan for her to produce a poster and talk that would win awards, and she did! More importantly, it was always our goal to generate a paper with our student out of her summer work, and we’re finishing that manuscript now." - Daniel Harrington, PhD
"I have served as the mentor for three CPRIT undergraduate students over the past two years. It has been a very rewarding experience for both me and the summer students who worked in my lab. The CPRIT program allows the mentor and the students to work on biomedical research of their interests. All my CPRIT summer students were able to complete research projects that lead to peer-reviewed full articles." -Tao Cui, PhD
"During 2015 summer, we actively engaged in the program and recruited a rising sophomore in Computer Science at UT Austin to our Patient Safety project. The experience stimulated enthusiasm for scientific research, which will be helpful for determining her career goal. On the other hand, her participation brought novel ideas to our project and accelerated our research progress." - Yang Gong, MD, PhD
"My CPRIT fellows were great. They were very creative, action-oriented, and hard workers. They contributed significantly to adding different perspectives/components to the operation of my projects. Specifically, they created a video that introduces our study to participants, set up the study's twitter and Facebook accounts, and study website. They also actively participated in weekly project meetings proposing new ideas and expressing their opinions. I believe that CPRIT summer program provides fellows with great opportunities to think creatively, implement their ideas, and learn how research is conducted, while tackling challenging issues encounter in project operations." - Kayo Fujimoto, PhD
Frequently asked questions by applicants
Q: Who is eligible to apply?
A: All undergraduate students in colleges and universities across the United States who will be sophomores, juniors, or seniors in the fall semester of 2024
Q: What is the schedule for the summer program?
A: Each week, you will engage in research, cancer seminars, and professional development workshops Monday through Friday (40 hours/full-time).
Q: Can I apply if I have a GPA of less than 3.0?
A: Applicants with less than a 3.0 GPA will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
Q: Is this internship only for students interested in pre-medicine?
A: No, we encourage students from all majors and programs to apply.
Q: Can I submit unofficial transcripts?
A: Unofficial transcripts will suffice during the review of your application. If accepted to the fellowship, official transcripts will be required before you can be appointed. If you believe your official transcript will not arrive before the deadline, we suggest submitting unofficial transcripts with your application. Request official transcripts from your university as soon as possible.
Q: I am an international student on an F1 visa. Can I apply for this fellowship?
A: Yes. International students currently enrolled in a US college or university can also apply. After acceptance into the program, you will be required to apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) from the office of international affairs in your home institution.
Q: Can I submit a letter of recommendation, or does it have to be sent directly by the recommender?
A: Our online application contains a section where you can identify your recommender. They should send their recommendation letter directly to us at [email protected]. Although we may accept letters sent directly by you, this practice is strongly discouraged.
Q: Do all materials need to be sent electronically?
A: The application is now available online. You will have the opportunity to submit your materials within the application. Please follow the directions listed on the application regarding the naming convention of files.
Q: I was selected as a semifinalist. What does that mean?
A: It means that you have been selected to indicate your top project choices and to participate in interviews that will be conducted by faculty mentors. Final selections will be made based on the interviews. The mentors and their individual projects will be listed on the website under the "Project Profile" tab in late January. In the meantime, you can view past projects listed on the page.
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