This summer, undergraduate students, graduate trainees and faculty gathered in the Margherio Conference Room on Wayne State University’s (WSU) campus for a memorable day of collaboration, mentorship and inspiration. The Inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Meetup, in partnership with the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, united participants from WSU, Michigan State University (MSU) and the Van Andel Institute, offering a unique opportunity for students to engage directly with academic professionals at each stage of the research journey.
The event featured interactive case studies, panel discussions, and candid conversations about the realities that come with a career in cancer research.
There was a clear message for all participants: mentorship matters. Each attendee was advised to lean on others for guidance; not every career in medicine is straightforward.
Morhaf Al Achkar, M.D., Ph.D., associate center director for Education and leader of the Office of Cancer Research, Training and Education at Karmanos, emphasized the importance of creating spaces where students can envision themselves in research careers.
“We want them to feel that this is a space they belong in and that the next steps are attainable,” he said. “When they’re interacting with others today, especially mentors or faculty members, we want them to say, ‘I want to be like that person.’”
Dr. Al Achkar is also a family medicine physician at Karmanos and an associate professor of Oncology at WSU’s School of Medicine.
Students were grouped into small teams throughout the day to discuss real-life professional scenarios alongside their peers, creating a space for honesty and mentorship.
Kenneth Jackson, a medical student at WSU, a MSU alumnus, and a previous graduate of MSU’s Biomedical Research for University Students in Health Sciences (BRUSH) Summer Research Program, took a moment to reflect on how this event was a full-circle moment.
“I went to Michigan State and I'm an alum of the BRUSH program, so this was my first introduction to research in general,” he said. “I thought it was important to come back to my roots.”
Megan Fuller, a rising senior at MSU, participated in the SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) Program. She said this experience helped her expand her professional network.
“I connected with a panelist who is friends with my PI [principal investigator],” she said. “It was great to meet with him and make that meaningful personal connection.”
Elizabeth Widun, also a rising senior at MSU, said the event reassured her that others are facing the same challenges she faces when beginning her medical career.
“It’s great to hear from Ph.D. students and PIs, especially about their own experiences and anxiety with everything,” she said. “It's nice to feel that it's not just you who feels this way.”
Larry Matherly, Ph.D., associate center director for Basic Science at the Karmanos, professor in the department of Oncology and director of the Cancer Biology Graduate Program at WSU, believes events like this can help accelerate students’ development by exposing them to the different paths and perspectives early on in their professional careers.
“I think the benefits of an event like this are immense because these experiences, where you're exposing undergraduates to something that's a little bit outside their comfort zone, can really help when they begin navigating the next steps of their careers,” he said. “It's one thing to have your senior professor or program director say, ‘You should do this and this and this.’ These folks are actually in the trenches pursuing the trajectory you're looking to follow.”
He also noted that while this was the first time this event was held in its current form, they expect it to continue to grow over the next several years, due to its immeasurable benefits.
“Through these kinds of interactions, I think you're able to circumvent some of the common challenges because you're learning from people who have been there,” explained Dr. Matherly. “Connections that you can make at an event like this are tough to come by in a traditional university setting. When you're here, you directly interact with other undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty, all in one place.”
Two more of the event’s co-organizers included Andres Contreras, DVM, Ph.D., and Jonathan Diedrich, Ph.D., from MSU. They both saw this event as part of a broader effort to rethink how academic institutions train and support future researchers.
“I think it's good to meet the younger generation and see how they think differently,” said Contreras. “We can always learn from students. So, I think it's beneficial to see the growth and potential for these students as they continue to choose what they want to do with their careers.”
As the event wrapped up with refreshments and informal networking, there was a mutual understanding that events like this can significantly shape students' careers. Through a day of real conversations, mentoring and case studies, several groups of researchers in many different stages of their training were reminded that there are always others who want to help them succeed.
Visit the Office of Cancer Research, Training and Education page to learn more about Karmanos’ efforts to provide experiences and mentorship for future medical professionals and scientists.