BSE Faculty Members Co-Host Inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Day with Cherokee Nation

Students from the OUHSC Native American Research Center for Health (NARCH) program and our brand new Cancer Research Immersion Summer Program (CRISP) led by Biostatistics and Epidemiology faculty members Dr. Sydney Martinez and Dr. Sara Vesely, presented posters from their summer research project at the inaugural P20 Cancer Research Education Program (C-REP) Cherokee Nation Summer Undergraduate Research Day in Tahlequah, OK. During the program, students heard a motivational talk from Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and were given a tour of the first-tribally affiliated medical school in the nation followed by a tour of the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC). The tour was led by the Deputy Clinic Administrator and Hudson College of Public Health MHA graduate,  Chandler Welch.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Day was hosted to showcase the Cancer Research Immersion Summer Program (CRISP) and Native American Research Center for Health (NARCH) Summer Undergraduate Research Programs. Students presented posters and gave a 3-minute flash talk of their summer research experience. The goal of C-REP is to train researchers and students to meaningfully engage in cancer health equity research. This P20 Collaborative Partnership between Cherokee Nation, Stephenson Cancer Center, OU Health, OUHSC and Oklahoma State University has the goal of expanding tribal capacity to address cancer disparities through a coordinated program of pilot research directly involving early-stage investigators and students, and through specific cancer research curriculum development and outreach activities.