Strengthening Networks and Highlighting Black Excellence in Cancer Research and Medicine.
Black in Cancer Mentorship Programme 2021
We are excited to announce the launch of the Black in Cancer Mentorship Program 2021-2022 (BiCMP21). A program for Black undergraduate students with an interest in a career that contributes to the fight against cancer. Black students are often underrepresented within higher education and are poorly retained within the career advancement pipeline. To directly counteract this, Black in Cancer is committed to not only increasing representation in the cancer field, but also ensuring that those who come after us will be adequately supported and equipped to make informed career choices.
We will be matching students with a mentor (scientists at any level who have at least completed a bachelor’s degree; working in either industry or academia) to help support them and provide career-focused advice. The formal mentee-mentor relationship will last 9 months between September 2021 and June 2022. During which, there will be an opportunity for mentees to apply for a 8-week summer placement.
The overarching goal of this mentorship programme is to actively counteract the poor retention rate of Black students in university. The BiCMP21 also aims to support Black undergraduate students by:
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Connecting them with a mentor; a professional working in the field of cancer who will:
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Provide a listening ear and encouragement
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Give specific cancer research/industry career insight
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Help students set short- and long-term goals
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Help students identify training opportunities to help prepare them for further study or work
2. Providing employability enhancing training events
3. Organising science communication competitions (with prizes)
4. Organising monthly raffles for vouchers to buy textbooks
We welcome applications from undergraduate students based at UK and USA institutions studying Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM) with an interest in a career that contributes to the fight against cancer. We also invite scientists and other professionals in the cancer field to apply to become mentors.
INTERESTED IN APPLYING TO JOIN BiCMP21?