- Who can apply: High school students completing their sophomore, junior, or senior years from backgrounds underrepresented in science and healthcare.
- Apply by: January 20, 2025
- Program dates: June 16 – August 8, 2025
The Cancer Health Equity Summer Scholars (CHESS) program is an eight-week summer program that trains and mentors underrepresented minority high school students interested in careers focusing on cancer research and other health professions. CHESS is a collaboration between the University of Illinois Cancer Center and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Urban Health Program. Students will receive a $3,000 stipend for completing the program.
Students gain hands-on research experience working in a UIC faculty lab on an independent project. At the end of the summer, students present their work during the Cancer Center’s student research symposium. Students will also attend workshops, lectures, and other activities focused on building research, professional, and academic skills.
CHESS students are matched to labs based on research interests. This means that students can work on any field of cancer research – from molecular biology to computation and biostatistics.
Watch the videos below featuring some of our 2024 CHESS students to learn more about the progam and to hear from some of our 2023 CHESS students about their experiences. To sign up for our mailing list or to contact us, email [email protected].
