Improving the Biomedical Pipeline: Long-term Outcomes of An Undergraduate Internship

Undergraduate science majors entering their final (senior) year face a critical decision: whether to pursue post-baccalaureate degrees and continue on the path to careers in biomedical, medical or public health fields. Large disparities in socioeconomic factors contribute to the high rate of attrition of under-represented minority (URM) students from historically excluded communities (HEC’s) at this key decision point. Here, we present outcome data for six cohorts (2011-2016) of rising seniors (n=163) who participated in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). The SURP recruited a diverse population of science majors for a nine-week intensive research internship during the summer between junior and senior year. The interns engaged in research experiences in Fred Hutch laboratories and research groups while participating in professional development workshops designed to enable them to be competitive for admission to top master’s, doctoral, medical and dual degree programs. In spite of historically documented disparities in advancement of students from HEC’s, we demonstrate that an intensive internship that combines realistic research and professional development components can increase the obtainment of advanced degrees (n=80, 51.6%) for all participants regardless of racial, ethnic or socioeconomical background.