Guest post from Megan McCall at Winship Cancer Institute. It is not very often that a high school student has the opportunity to work in a lab or clinic shadowing a world-renowned doctor, but for the past six weeks, ten Georgia high schoolers have done just that at Winship Cancer Institute.

Summer scholars in Medical Simulation Lab. Photo by Megan McCall.

The Summer Scholars Research Program, now in its 16th year, exposes students to a multitude of experiences, such as research from Winship’s top experts, lectures by doctors from a variety of specialties, and field trips to Grady Memorial Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The students have also seen different parts of Emory’s campus through visits to the School of Medicine’s Medical Simulation Lab and the Health Sciences Research Library.

The SSRP pairs each student with an oncologist with whom they complete their own research project and get an in-depth look at a specific cancer specialty. The program will culminate on Friday (8:30 am to 12:30 pm, C5012) with the students presenting their projects to an audience of their peers, mentors, and the Winship community.

“Our goal with this program is to engage scholars at a young age and promote their interest in cancer research. I view this program as a critical part of my work and as a critical piece of Winship’s mission,” says program director Jonathon Cohen, MD. “The SSRP is a unique opportunity for Winship researchers to interact with some of the brightest young people out there, many of whom we hope to consider as colleagues in the future.”

The students attend weekly lectures with a wide array of speakers including oncologists, cancer survivors, and statisticians. Guest lecturer and 10-year cancer survivor Carolyn Higgins says, “It is wonderful to see such a fresh example of today’s future doctors.”