YES for CURE

Eligibility and Application

To Be Eligible You Must:

• Be at least 16 years old at the start of the program
• Be a high school sophomore or junior or a college freshman or sophomore
• Reside in and/or attend school in Massachusetts and be able to travel to the Longwood Medical Area in Boston five days a week in the summer and several times a month during the academic year.
• Be able to commit to the full 2.5 years of the program

Required Application Components Include:

• Completion of an application form
• Copy of transcript or report card from most current school and year
• Current résumé
• TWO Letter(s) of Recommendation (maximum of three; one of these letters must be from a science or mathematics teacher/professors

Year 1: Laying a Solid Foundation

In the first year of the YES for CURE Program you will lay a solid foundation in scientific cancer research.  At the top of the year, you will engage in an intensive orientation program consisting of scientific content, professional development, and scientific skills training to prepare you for your summer research experiences.  In the summer, you will conduct full-time, hands-on, mentored cancer research experiences in a lab matched to your research interests under the guidance of a HCC faculty mentor and with the support of the YES for CURE leadership team.  The subsequent academic year we continue to develop your scientific knowledge, skills, and professional presence.

Year 2: Developing Scientific Mastery and Leadership

In your second year, we start the year out planning for your success with Individual Development Plan meetings. We take your mastery of STEM to the next level by developing and delivering curriculum to middle school students attending Boston Public Schools while engaging in your second summer of cancer research, deepening your knowledge and expertise in your particular field.  We begin to wrap out the year by training you to facilitate journal club sessions for peers a year behind you just starting the program.

Year 3: Becoming STEM Leaders and Future Opportunities

In year 3, you continue to support the first-year YES for CURE students on their journey and we plan for your next steps after the YES for CURE program.

Discover the YES for CURE program's full range of features and its standout features.

Key Program Features

The YES for CURE Program includes all the features the CURE Summer-Only Program and these unique components of the 2.5 year program. 

Skills and Solutions

Prior to their first summer research experience, YES for CURE Scholars take part in Skills and Solutions, a series of Wednesday evening and Saturday morning training sessions during the academic year designed to teach essential research skills and scientific concepts. The goal is to ensure that students have a foundation of knowledge and familiarity upon which they can build during their summer experience. Skills and Solutions includes interactive classroom and hands-on laboratory instruction on topics ranging from molecular biology techniques, cancer biology and genetics, public health research, cancer epidemiology, bioinformatics, research professionalism, reading and interpreting scientific papers, and responsible conduct of research.

Middle School Engagement

With the guidance and support of program leadership, YES for CURE Scholars work together to design and implement a science curriculum for middle school students during their second and third year of program participation. Scholars engage Boston Public School middle schoolers that are a part of a variety of summer enrichment programs. YES for CURE Scholars visit these students two to three times during the summer to share their experiences doing research at the cancer consortium and some of the science they have learned.  

Family Engagement

Historically, many students in HCC training programs have been the first in their families to pursue postsecondary degrees. Many have grown up in non-English speaking households and/or have been economically disadvantaged. Due to these and other factors, most of our students have had no prior experience with biomedical research or researchers at home or in their communities. The YES for CURE Program engage the family members of our students in program activities and planning conversation with the goal of assisting them to provide meaningful support for and to achieve understanding of the significance of their students’ research experiences.

Program staff work with students and family members to schedule periodic one-on-one conversations crafting and tracking students’ academic and professional plans.  Families are also invited and encouraged to attend selected YES for CURE Program activities, including the initial January program kick-off meeting and other social and educational events throughout the year. 

During the academic years between their summer research experiences, YES for CURE Scholars meet twice a month at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for a series of Wednesday evening seminars and workshops. These workshops are a combination of journal club meetings, in which students read and discuss recent scientific articles with HCC postdoctoral fellows and graduate students; professional development workshops and seminars, in which students interact with mid-career professionals working in STEM, learning and practice soft skills such as networking, informational interviewing, and developing their brand; and build their middle school curriculum for the summer.