Wake Forest University School of Medicine has been selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) as one of the host sites for their 2024 Oncology Summer Internship. Wake Forest University School of Medicine is one of only four medical schools across the U.S. chosen to join 11 other medical schools who already participate in the program.
The summer internship is a program designed to strengthen and diversify the oncology workforce by introducing rising second-year medical students to training and career options in oncology. The application to participate as a host site was led by the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC).
Throughout June, three Wake Forest University School of Medicine students will participate in daily shadowing with clinicians at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center campuses in Winston-Salem and Charlotte. These experiences will provide a firsthand look at interactions between patients and oncology health care providers.
The students will also take part in networking opportunities and social events with their peers, community members and mentors, and will sit in on tumor boards – groups of oncologists who meet to discuss new and complex cancer cases and collectively decide on the best treatment plan for a patient.
“As Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center celebrates 50 years of National Cancer Institute designation, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this prestigious program that is raising interest in the field of oncology,” said Dr. Ruben Mesa, president of Atrium Health Levine Cancer, executive director of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and vice dean for cancer programs at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine internship is led by Dr. Heidi Klepin, associate director of CRTEC, and Dr. Jimmy Ruiz, assistant director of clinical research, both of whom are professors of hematology and oncology; and Dr. Daniel Carrizosa, assistant director of community outreach and engagement and clinical associate professor of hematology and oncology.
“By introducing more medical students to oncology early in their medical training, we can help expand the number of physicians who are so desperately needed to care for patients battling cancer, and who will help us find new treatments for cancer,” said Dr. Ebony Boulware, dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and chief science officer and vice chief academic officer of Advocate Health.
Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the academic core of Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit health system.
In addition to Wake Forest University School of Medicine, three other medical schools have joined the 2024 Oncology Summer Internship: University of Colorado School of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College. They join these 11 returning schools: Baylor College of Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, UCSF School of Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
"We're thrilled by the remarkable success of this program since its launch in 2021 and its potential to significantly boost the oncology workforce," said ASCO President Dr. Lynn M. Schuchter. "We're passionate about the ASCO Oncology Summer Internship serving as a powerful tool for mentoring aspiring doctors from diverse backgrounds. Hearing firsthand from students about the program's profound impact has been truly inspiring."
The ASCO Oncology Summer Internship program is supported by Conquer Cancer, The ASCO Foundation. More information can be found at asco.org/diversity.