Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) Opportunities
Join the fight against cancer
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is dedicated to ensuring students, trainees and medical professionals of all backgrounds have the support they need to pursue meaningful careers in cancer care, research and education.
The Cancer Center's Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) and Plan to Enhance Diversity (PED) teams can help guide you to impactful opportunities at Mayo Clinic across the learning spectrum and across our national campuses.
These opportunities are designed to not only provide you with valuable experiences to build your career but also address key issues of underrepresentation in medicine. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center believes strongly that a more diverse workforce, conducting more diverse cancer research in more diverse populations, produces better outcomes across all populations.
Please explore opportunities to join our mission.
For high school students
Use our healthcare career library to learn about careers in medicine and science. Search by title, type of work, salary or educational requirements. A large percentage of healthcare careers may be related to cancer care.
The Mayo Clinic Career Advancement, Research, and Education Summer (CARES) Program exposes Arizona high school students (freshmen, sophomores and juniors) to the whole spectrum of healthcare careers over the course of a summer. Through the program, students establish connections and discover possibilities for their personal and professional journeys. The program uses a rigorous application process to select participants, with an emphasis on students from special populations, underserved areas and diverse backgrounds who have an interest in health equity or community outreach. Career focus areas include a wide variety of possibilities, including cancer research.
The RISE for Youth program helps Black and underrepresented students transform themselves from youth with potential to competitive and empowered talent entering the workforce. The program is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the Rochester branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The four-week summer program engages high school juniors and seniors and college undergraduates to enhance their opportunities for postsecondary education and entry into the workforce. Participants examine healthcare careers and partner with mentors from Mayo Clinic — including the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center — and the surrounding community. Through discussions and exploration of leadership and professional development topics, students gain insightful knowledge, hands-on experience and professional skills.
The SPARK Research Mentorship Program provides high school students with unparalleled mentored research experience in world-class laboratories at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. SPARK scholars gain experience in basic science, the research process, critical thinking and professional conduct — and they do it all in Mayo Clinic's state-of-the-art facilities while working with some of the top researchers in their fields.
SPARK, which stands for Science Program for the Advancement of Research Knowledge, accepts applications from rising juniors and seniors each fall. Students remain connected with the program for a year through required participation in oral presentations, the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair, and regional, state and international science fairs. SPARK is funded and led by members of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
For college students
The Native American Pathway Program addresses Native American health disparities by increasing the number of Native Americans in health careers. The program helps Native American and Alaska Native undergraduate and postbaccalaureate students develop the skills and tools they need to enroll and persist in medical school. It offers coaching for career and medical school readiness, career exploration, introduction to scientific research, and remote clinical observation.
The RISE for Youth program helps Black and underrepresented students transform themselves from youth with potential to competitive and empowered talent entering the workforce. The program is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the Rochester branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The four-week summer program engages high school juniors and seniors and college undergraduates to enhance their opportunities for postsecondary education and entry into the workforce. Participants examine healthcare careers and partner with mentors from Mayo Clinic — including the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center — and the surrounding community. Through discussions and exploration of leadership and professional development topics, students gain insightful knowledge, hands-on experience and professional skills.
SURF is a great way to build skills as a young scientist or test inclinations toward research. The 10-week program immerses participants in research opportunities and provides close mentorship from top-notch scientists as students work on research projects designed especially for them. This program is partially funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, in addition to support from the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The UPS program engages underrepresented undergraduates with high potential of pursuing a career in medicine. The program spans nine months during the academic school year and includes distance learning webinars on topics including MCAT prep, summer research opportunities, the medical student experience, and the medical school application and interview process.
There also is a UPS+ track for outstanding premedical college sophomores. In addition to viewing the webinars, UPS+ students participate in a near-peer mentorship program with Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine medical students from Minnesota and Arizona. UPS+ students also can apply to a weeklong intensive summer program, which provides shadowing activities as well as workshops and sessions aimed at developing skills and strategies for the medical school admissions process.
The Worrall Scholars Program recruits talented premedical minority students to Mayo Clinic to experience our world-class medical education environment. Selection is based on high achievement on the MCAT with scores in the top percentile as reported by the Association of American Medical Colleges' Medical Minority Applicant Registry (Med-Mar).* The Worrall Scholars Program offers a three-day visit to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, with clinical shadowing at Mayo Clinic and faculty presentations at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. Scholars also participate in a mentorship program with Mayo Clinic physicians to help guide them through the medical school admissions process and career development.
*The Med-Mar program is by invitation only. Interested students who are eligible to participate in the Med-Mar registry are advised to opt into the registry when taking the MCAT to have their scores reported and available for consideration.
For college graduates
Many talented underrepresented students discover research late in their college careers and need more research experience to compete for top Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. programs. The Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) focuses on the research skills and academic competitiveness of program participants in an effort to help meet the critical need for diverse investigators in basic and translational research. The program offers intense mentorship, special seminars, GRE study materials and tutoring. Cancer Center labs host multiple students each year in this program.
The IMSD program provides underrepresented students personal and professional development counseling to enhance their growth and skills for success in biomedical research careers, including cancer research. The program includes research across the spectrum, from basic laboratory studies to clinical trials. The goals of the program are professional development, improved communication skills, and ongoing counseling and evaluation.
Distinguish yourself as a budding scientist in this short-term opportunity designed to provide you with 1 to 2 years of research experience before applying to medical or graduate school. Cancer Center labs host multiple students each year in this program.
Find an exciting environment of academic inquiry and scientific discovery combined with exceptional intellectual and technological resources designed to help you achieve your highest scientific career goals. Choose from eight specialty tracks including an emphasis in Cancer Research.
Develop the analytic skills of a basic scientist and the knowledge base of a physician in our collaborative M.D.-Ph.D. Program that prepares you to translate scientific discoveries into applications that improve patient care.
Fulfill educational research requirements of the predoctoral (Ph.D.) or master's degree program you are currently enrolled in at a U.S. or international academic institution in biomedical research.
For medical students
The Summer Research Fellowship addresses the need for clinical investigators from diverse backgrounds through a comprehensive training program for patient-oriented research. The 8- to 10-week Summer Research Fellowship matches medical students in their first and second years with Mayo Clinic investigators based on students' individual research interests. Students also attend a series of seminars and presentations that introduce them to the full range of clinical research methods.
As active members of a multidisciplinary healthcare team, visiting medical students receive diverse hands-on experience, such as attending teaching rounds and conferences, taking patient histories, performing physical examinations, and assisting with operating room and other procedures. The four-week clinical rotation can be subsidized by a $2,500 diversity scholarship.
Learn more about the Visiting Medical Student Clerkship Program
The graduate-level Wilson Scholars Program provides a pathway toward career advancement through individualized mentorship, on-campus visits, virtual workshops and access to Mayo Clinic Continuous Professional Development courses. The program is open to first-, second- and third-year medical students of all backgrounds who are committed to addressing issues of diversity and equity in healthcare.
For residents and fellows
The Mayo International Health Program helps current Mayo Clinic residents and fellows pursue elective rotations in underserved international communities. Participants in the mentored scholarship program emphasize the lasting and positive impact of their experiences on their lives and careers.
Hematology and medical oncology are among the most dynamic specialties of internal medicine. Advances in basic and clinical biomedical research, which will only further evolve in the coming decades, make this fellowship exciting from both the clinical and the research perspectives.
Explore opportunities in:
The radiation oncology residency prepares physicians for a career in radiation oncology, including fully integrated photon and proton therapy practice. After completing the residency, physicians are ready for the demands of private practice, academic practice or a fellowship.
Explore opportunities in:
Contact us
For additional information, please email the Cancer Center Research Training and Education Program Manager at MCCCC-CRTEC@mayo.edu.
