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How to Find a Mentor

Applicants of the CPRTP Summer Research Experience are required to list a minimum of four (4) and maximum of six (6) mentor choices from the CPRTP Summer Mentor List (below) on page 2 of their personal statement within the summer application.

After the summer fellowships are awarded, the CPRTP will match students with mentors based on the mentor choices and any additional information provided within the personal statement.

See the menu below for detailed information about summer mentor requirements, the matching process, a list of participating summer mentors and how to search for additional mentors.

NOTE: If an MD Anderson faculty mentor not listed on the CPRTP Summer Program Mentors page has agreed to mentor an applicant OR if the applicant is interested in being mentored by them, they may also be included on the personal statement, as long as the summer project is related to cancer prevention. Also, be sure to indicate "EXTERNAL MENTOR CHOICE" next to the faculty name on the Personal Statement.

Summer Mentor Requirements

One primary mentor is required. Two mentors are optional.
The mentor must have a faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor level or higher within DCPPS.
Faculty with adjunct appointments at MD Anderson are acceptable.
The mentor and applicant's research project must be related to cancer prevention.
A second mentor is optional and may have a faculty appointment outside of DCPPS (e.g. Hematology, Pathology, Immunology, etc.)
Postdoctoral fellows and Instructors may mentor a summer student as long as there is a supervising faculty (Assistant Professor or higher level).
Summer research experience applicants are required to list a minimum of three (3) and maximum of six (6) mentor choices from the CPRTP Summer Mentor List (located in the menu below) and include those choices in the personal statement submitted with the application.

Summer Mentor Matching Process

The CPRTP Summer Research Experience applicants must...

List 3 to 6 mentor choices, from this page, on their personal statement (be sure to include research projects of interest, from the list below).
May search for additional mentor choices using the faculty profile search page located at https://faculty.mdanderson.org. (DCPPS faculty mentors are preferred).
Write "External Mentor Choice" next to the name of any faculty listed as potential mentor choices who are: 1) not on this page, 2) outside the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences or 3) located using the faculty search engine listed above.

CPRTP will...

conduct a preliminary match between the student and one of the mentor choices.
provide students with instructions to conduct phone interviews with matched mentors & provide feedback to CPRTP.
match the students & mentors and notify both parties, based on interview feedback.

EXTERNAL MENTOR CHOICES are defined as...

MD Anderson faculty not listed on this page, but have agreed to mentor a student.
MD Anderson faculty selected by the student, with no prior agreement or meeting.
External mentor choices will be contacted by the CPRTP on behalf of the student & must meet the summer mentor requirements indicated below.

Participating CPRTP Summer Mentors

The following is a sub-set of participating summer faculty mentors who have agreed to mentor a student as part of the CPRTP Summer Research Experience. While this list does not include all participating faculty, additional mentors will be suggested by the CPRTP Directors during telephone interviews with the summer program finalists. Please note: There is no guarantee that you will be matched with the faculty you list within your personal statement. A successful mentor match is made when both the trainee and mentor are in consensus, following the 15-minute telephone interview facilitated by the CPRTP.

Pratip Bhattacharya, Ph.D.
Professor, Cancer Systems Imaging
PKBhattacharya@mdanderson.org
Hyperpolarization, Real-Time Imaging, MRI, Metabolic Imaging, Molecular Imaging

Shine Chang, Ph.D.
Professor, Epidemiology
Director, CPRTP
shinechang@mdanderson.org
Biobehavioral Determinants of Obesity and Weight Gain, Cancer Epidemiology, Cancer Prevention Research Training, Leadership and Diversity in Academic Medicine

Sharon Giordano, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Health Services Research
sgiordan@mdanderson.org
Health Services Research, Breast Cancer, Survivorship, Cancer Outcomes

Scott Kopetz, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, GI Medical Oncology
SKopetz@mdanderson.org
Colorectal Cancer, Molecular Subtypes, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Chemoprevention, Translational Research

Susan Gilchrist, M.D., M.S.
Associate Professor, Clinical Cancer Prevention
SGilchrist@mdanderson.org
Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Exercise, Cancer Prevention, Cardiology, Cardio-Oncology

Carrie Daniel-MacDougall, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
CDaniel@mdanderson.org
Diet, Obesity, Microbiome, Colorectal Cancer, Prevention

Irene Tami-Maury, D.M.D., Dr.P.H.
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Science
ITami@mdanderson.org
Tobacco Prevention, Smoking Cessation, Oral/Dental, Minorities, International

Lorna Haughton McNeill, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Deputy Department Chair, Health Disparities Research
lmcneill@mdanderson.org
Health Disparities, Obesity/Physical Activity, Community Engagement, Intervention Research

Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Clinical Cancer Prevention
EVilar@mdanderson.org
Colorectal cancer, Chemoprevention, Hereditary Cancer Syndromes, Adenomas, Genomics

Mala Pande, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.B.S.
Assistant Professor, Gastroenterology - Research
MPande@mdanderson.org
Epidemiology, Genetics, Hereditary Cancer Syndromes, Colorectal Cancer, Predictors of Cancer Risk and Outcomes

Bo Peng, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
bpeng@mdanderson.org
RNA Seq, Sequencing analysis, Variant Annotation, Software development, Association Analysis

Susan Schembre, Ph.D., R.D.
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Science
Eating Behavior, Obesity, Diet Assessment, Biobehavioral, Cancer Prevention

Larkin Strong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Health Disparities Research,
LLStrong@mdanderson.org
Health Disparities, Physical Activity, Community-Based Interventions, Built Environment, Mobile Health

Mary Tripp, Ph.D.
Instructor, Behavioral Science
mtripp@mdanderson.org
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Prevention, Sun Protection/Indoor Tanning, Behavioral Intervention Development and Evaluation, Measurement and Survey Research

Hui Zhao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Health Services Research
huizhao@mdanderson.org
Health Services Research, Big Data Analysis, Cancer Epidemiology, Cancer Survivorship, Cancer Prevention

Potential Summer Cancer Prevention Research Projects

The following is a list of research projects of CPRTP fellows and summer alumni. Please indicate any projects of interest within your personal statement (these may be added to the same sheet as your mentor choices). This will help our program gain a better sense of your research interests.

Whole-exome case control studies of common and rare cancer types to identify and characterize cancer susceptibility genes.
Discovering Clonality in Colorectal Adenomas.
The Influence of High Intensity Interval Training on Visceral Adipose Tissue and Breast Cancer Risk in Women at Heightened Risk for Breast Cancer.
Self-sampling for HPV testing to improve cercial cancer screening coverage in hard-to-reach populations: a pilot study.
Evaluating the interplay between adipocyte and glioblastoma stem cell in sensitivity to LSD1 inhibition.
DNA Methylation in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes and Health Disparity in Prostate Cancer.
Identification and Characterization of early copy number changes in NSCLC progression.
Exercise motivation and objectively-measured physical activity among patients participating in a preoperative exercise program while undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Observed cooking behaviors of families with and without childhood cancer survivors and the development of a healthy cooking assessment tool.
Investigating Mechanisms of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Using Human-Inducible Pluripotent Stem Cell Cardiomyocytes.
Cancer Screening Prevalence among Tobacco Users in the United States: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey.
The Role of Mental Health and Health Behaviors in Increasing Cancer Risk Among Ethnic Minorities.
Associations of diet, microbiome, and genetics: exploring determinants of pancreatic cancer risk.
Sun Protection and Skin Examination Attitudes and Practices in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).
High Carbohydrate Diet with the Gut and Oral Microbiome: Glycemic load, added sugars, and fiber.
NSAID Use, Obesity and Survival from Colorectal Cancer.
The Role of AKT on PD-L1 Expression Under Hypoxia.
Clinical factors are associated with prolonged survival of patients diagnosed with Stage IV Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Electronic Wearable Device Implementation.
To Monitor Exercise in Cancer Survivorship.
Understanding Health Outcomes in Latino Communities.
Connecting to Improve Cervical Cancer Disparities in Latin America: Project ECHO Evaluation.
Prevalence and Characteristics of TERT Promoter Mutations detected in Cell-free DNA in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.
Post-Diagnostic Aspirin Use and Survival from PIK3CA Mutant Colorectal Cancer: Potential Mechanisms.
Breast Cancer Patients’ Adherence to Endocrine Therapy: A Qualitative Analysis.
Assessing the Adherence to Cardiac Monitoring Recommendations in Young Breast Cancer Patients.
Adherence to the American Cancer Society Guidelines For Cancer Prevention Among Women at High Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer.
Anxiety Sensitivity’s Impact on Physical Activity in a Cohort of Endometrial Cancer Survivors.
When you have a toothache, you just chew betel quid”: A qualitative study exploring attitudes and perceptions of betel quid consumption and its oral health implications in Taiwan.
Factors Associated with Endometrial Cancer after Primary Breast Cancer Diagnosis.
The Contribution of HIV to the Clinical Outcome of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in USA.
Clinical, Histopathologic and Molecular Characterization of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.
Potential effects of energy intake, recent weight change, and physical activity on the fecal and oral microbiomes.
Impact of Physical Activity on Daily Glucose Control.
Characterization of tumor microenvironment mechanisms modulating anti-PD-1 treatment response in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
A Radiomics-based model for non-invasive prediction of mutation rate in Glioblastoma.
Melanoma Prevention: What does the general pediatrician need to know?
A look into the feasibility of relapse prevention in smokers in America: A systematic review.
Exploring Factors Relating to African American Men’s Physical Activity: Social Support, Stress, and Racial Discrimination.

How to Search For Additional Summer Mentors

CPRTP Summer Research Experience applicants may search for additional mentor choices using either of the two search methods below.

Note: All summer projects must be related to cancer prevention.

Method 1:

Click on the links below to access the list of faculty within each of the five (5) departments within the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences (DCPPS).

Method 2:

Search for additional mentor choices using the faculty profile search page located at https://faculty.mdanderson.org. (DCPPS faculty mentors are preferred).

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