How to Find a Summer Mentor
Applicants of the Cancer Prevention Research Training Program (CPRTP) Summer Research Experience must follow these guidelines to identify a minimum of six (6) mentor choices within the application. For applicants already working with MD Anderson faculty who has agreed serve as a mentor, be sure to indicate this in the personal statement and confirm the proposed project is in cancer prevention.
Although we cannot guarantee the student will be matched with one of their mentor choices, we will ensure that both the student and faculty have complementary interests. Ultimately, the research resulting from this summer collaboration could be the gateway into future research in cancer prevention.
We are committed to providing our trainees with a positive, productive and rewarding summer research experience, and subsequent career in cancer prevention and control, early detection and risk assessment.
Summer Mentor Requirements
- One primary mentor is required. Two or more mentors are optional.
- The mentor must have a faculty or adjunct appointment at MD Anderson Cancer Center and preferably within the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences.
- Instructors and Postdoctoral Fellows may serve as mentors, as long as they are supervised by a faculty at the Assistant Professor level or higher.
- The proposed summer research project must be related to cancer prevention.
- Faculty outside of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences may serve as mentors as long as they meet all of the aforementioned requirements and the project is related to cancer prevention.
Summer Mentor Matching Process
Upon notification of award, the CPRTP will review your mentor choices and provide copies of your application to the faculty. The faculty will review your application and determine whether they are available for an interview.
When making this determination, faculty will consider the following:
- Your previous research experience (if any)
- Whether your research interests are in alignment with their current projects
- Ability to work independently
- Whether you are seeking lab experience or basic science experience
- Whether their current research is in cancer prevention
- Their current work load (e.g. upcoming grant submissions)
- Their summer travel schedule (e.g. upcoming conferences)
- The number of students they are currently mentoring
- Available space within their department
The faculty will inform us which students they are interested in interviewing. We will provide you with an interview form, interview questions, faculty contact information, and a deadline for interview results. In most cases, you will interview the faculty's senior research scientist, lab manager, program manager, postdoctoral fellow or instructor. These individuals work directly with the faculty mentor and will take an active role in mentoring the summer student, while managing daily activities. In these scenarios, the faculty mentor will act more as a supervisor and oversee the summer research project. In contrast, other faculty mentors will interview and subsequently work directly with the summer student.
Once we compile all interview results, we will begin matching students and contact the faculty to confirm a match. When both you and the mentor are in consensus--a match is made. Finally, we will have the matched mentor complete a project description form, which will be provided at CPRTP orientation during the first day of your fellowship.
How to Search For Summer Mentors
Use one of the following search methods to locate potential summer mentors and list a minimum of six (6) choices on a separate page of the personal statement.
1) Select from the list of Previous CPRTP Summer Mentor & Projects (see the tab below).
2) Search the faculty pages of the five (5) departments within the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences (DCPPS) listed below. Each faculty name on the department page is hyperlinked to the faculty profile which describes their research.
- Department of Epidemiology Faculty
- Department of Health Services Research Faculty
- Department of Behavioral Science Faculty
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention Faculty
- Department of Health Disparities Research Faculty
3) Using the MD Anderson Faculty Search engine at http://faculty.mdanderson.org, search by faculty name OR research keyword (e.g. colon cancer) using the Faculty Name box.
Previous CPRTP Summer Mentors & Projects
The following are MD Anderson faculty, grouped by department, who have previously mentored and/or agreed to mentor a CPRTP summer student. The directory below includes a link to the faculty profile page and keywords describing the research.
Faculty Name & Title |
Department |
Research Keywords or Project Titles |
| Karen M. Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., Professor (co-mentors: Matthew H. G. Katz, Ph.D. and Nathan Parker, Ph.D.) | Behavioral Science |
1) PancFit – exercise program for patients undergoing preoperative treatment for pancreatic cancer 2) Measuring changes in muscle in patients undergoing cancer treatment (retrospective work using CT scans and chart review) |
Maher Karam-Hage, M.D., Professor |
Behavioral Science |
Tobacco and Nicotine Addiction, Comorbid Psychiatric Conditions, Medical Outcomes of Quitting vs Not Quitting Smoking. |
| Yue Liao, Ph.D., Instructor | Behavioral Science | Leveraging data from wearable sensors to motivate changes in physical activity and reduce cancer risks Keywords: mHealth, Obesity, Physical activity, Energy balance |
Irene Tami-Maury, D.M.D., Dr.P.H., Assistant Professor |
Behavioral Science |
Global Health; Dental Care; Smoking; Areca Nut/Betel Quid; LGBT; HIV; Health Disparities |
| Alexander V. Prokhorov, M.D., Ph.D., Professor (co-mentor: Georges Khalil, Ph.D.) | Behavioral Science |
1) Tobacco Cessation, Relapse Prevention, Substance Use Prevention, Youth and Young Adults, Dissemination of Evidence-Based Public Health Programs 2) Social Influence Strategies of Game Play during a Web-based Smoking Prevention Program for Adolescents (Designing Games for Public Health, Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation) |
Pratip K. Bhattacharya, Ph.D. Associate Professor |
Cancer Systems Imaging |
Hyperpolarization, Real-Time Imaging, MRI, Metabolic Imaging, Molecular Imaging, Metabolic Evolution of Patient-Derived Glioblastoma Xenografts, In Vivo Hyperpolarized 13C MRI, Ex Vivo 1H NMR |
Susan Gilchrist, M.D., Associate Professor |
Clinical Cancer Prevention |
Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Exercise, Cancer Prevention, Cardiology, Cardio-Oncology |
Florencia McAllister, M.D., Assistant Professor |
Clinical Cancer Prevention |
Immune System, Pancreatic Tumorgenesis |
Guang Peng, MD., M.D., Ph.D., Professor |
Clinical Cancer Prevention |
Molecular Consequences, APOBEC3 Genes, Breast Cancer |
Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor |
Clinical Cancer Prevention |
Colorectal cancer, Chemoprevention, Hereditary Cancer Syndromes, Adenomas, Genomics |
Manal M Hassan, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor |
Epidemiology |
Gallbladder Stones , Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Multiethnic USA Population |
Carrie Daniel-MacDougall, Ph.D., Assistant Professor |
Epidemiology |
Diet, Obesity, Microbiome, Colorectal Cancer, Prevention |
Scott Kopetz, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor |
Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology |
Colorectal Cancer, Molecular Subtypes, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Chemoprevention, Translational Research |
Mala Pande, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.B.S., Assistant Professor |
Gastroenterology Research |
Epidemiology, Genetics, Hereditary Cancer Syndromes, Colorectal Cancer, Predictors of Cancer Risk and Outcomes |
Aubri Hoffman, Ph.D., Instructor |
Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine |
Project aim: To use the International Reporting Guidelines Checklist (as part of the International Patient Decision Aid Standards-IPDAS) to review and analyze the quality of existing papers for risk communication. |
Kathleen Schmeler, M.D., Associate Professor (co-mentors: Ellen Baker, M.D. and Melissa S. Lopez, Program Director) |
Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine |
1) Project ECHO: Mentoring, telementoring, demonopolizing knowledge, provider education 2) Cervical Cancer in Low-Resource Settings: Cervical cancer prevention, woman’s health, cervix cancer screening, early detection, program implementation, provider education |
Qian Lu, Ph.D., Associate Professor |
Health Disparities Research |
Health Disparities, Obesity/Physical Activity, Community Engagement, Intervention Research, Project title: Understanding and Promoting HPV Vaccination Acceptability Among College Students |
| Lorna Haughton McNeill, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair (co-mentor: Natalia Heredia, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow) | Health Disparities Research |
Qualitative research, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Hispanics |
Larkin Strong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor |
Health Disparities Research |
Health Disparities, Physical Activity, Community-Based Interventions, Built Environment, Mobile Health; Tu Salud Si Cuenta, Latino Family Dyads, Physical Activity, Healthy Eating |
Sharon Giordano, M.D., Professor and Chair |
Health Services Research |
Health Services Research, Breast Cancer, Survivorship, Cancer Outcomes, Prevention in Rural Populations |
Lisa Lowenstein, Ph.D., Professor |
Health Services Research |
Exercise, Cancer Survivors |
Hui Zhao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor |
Health Services Research |
Health Services Research, Big Data Analysis, Cancer Epidemiology, Cancer Survivorship, Cancer Prevention |
Joya Chandra, Ph.D., Associate Professor |
Pediatrics Research |
Cooking practices, Pediatric cancer survivors |
Mary T. Austin, M.D., Associate Professor |
Surgical Oncology |
Melanoma Prevention |
Trainees and Mentors In Action
2017 CPRTP Summer Graduate Student, Mariana Henry (center) with mentors Dr. Maria Chavez-MacGregor (left) and Dr. Sharon Giordano (right), Chair of Health Services Research
2017 CPRTP Summer Graduate Student, Natasha Burse with mentor, Dr. Abenaa Brewster, Clinical Cancer Prevention
2016 CPRTP Summer College Student, Erika Dennis with mentor, Dr. Lorna McNeill, Chair of Health Disparities Research
2018 CPRTP Summer College Student, Noah Choi (center) with mentors, Dr. Lisa Lowenstein (left) and Ashley Housten (right), Health Services Research
2016 CPRTP Summer Medical Student, Guillermo Marquez with mentor, Dr. Susan Gilchrist, Clinical Cancer Prevention and CPRTP Directors Drs. Shine Chang and Carrie Cameron
2013 CPRTP Summer Medical Student, Scott Nimmons with mentor: Dr. Abenaa Brewster, Clinical Cancer Prevention and CPRTP Directors Drs. Shine Chang and Carrie Cameron
2012 CPRTP Summer Graduate Student, Adolfo Cuevas with mentor, Dr. Lorraine Reizel, Health Disparities Research (now Dept. Chair at University of Houston) and CPRTP Directors Drs. Shine Chang and Carrie Cameron
Summer Program Contacts
Kava L. Lewis, B.A.
Education Coordinator
Cancer Prevention Research Training Program
713-563-9670
KLLewis2@mdanderson.org
Carrie Cameron, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Cancer Prevention Research Training Program
713-794-1476
CCameron@mdanderson.org