Undergraduate Research Training Programs at VCU

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Note: each of the programs below has its own application requirements. Please follow the links to determine your possible eligibility and specific contact and application procedures.

Health Education Research Opportunities (HERO)
Cheryl Chesny-Walker, Office of Health Careers

This National Institute of Heart, Lung, and Blood (NHLBI) sponsored program provides 10-week summer research experiences for undergraduate students and first year medical or dental students. Student have the opportunity to work with VCU faculty on research projects in the areas in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders   This program provides “hands on” research experiences and career development opportunities for undergraduate students from racial and ethnic minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Applications can be found on the VCU Division of Health Careers/ Education website

Funding:           National Institutes of Health, 4/1/08 – 3/31/2013
PI:                   Rakesh Kukreja

Exploring Biomedical Research Opportunities (EBRO)
Kevin Harris, Diversity Access Programs

EBRO is a new research program at VCU sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Short-term Educator Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP). The 10-week, non-residential program is designed to increase the number of underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students “in the pipeline” who are committed to a career in biomedical, behavioral, clinical or social sciences research.  These programs provide “hands on” research experience for undergraduate students from racial and ethnic minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Funding:           National Institutes of Health, 6/1/07 – 3/31/12
PI:                   Suzanne Barbour

Acceleration Program
Cheryl Chesny-Walker, Office of Health Careers

VCU's Acceleration Program is designed to recruit and retain underrepresented minority students. Once accepted into the Acceleration Program, students attend a four-week Summer Bridge Program. In late June, students stay in the dorms on campus and study basic math and science courses to prepare them for their core classes in the fall. A stipend is also given to each student for attending the summer program. At the end of their freshman year, the students will attend a six-week Health Careers Opportunity Program over the summer to expose them to a variety of higher-level health science courses and internships. The students will also take a one credit hour Spanish medical terminology class.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education and Research Program: Summer Scholars Program for Undergraduate Biologists
Allison Johnson, Coordinator

The HHMI Summer Scholars Program at VCU provides undergraduate scholars with a systems view of the life sciences experience. Scholars enter an eight-week residential research fellowship program comprised of four complementary activities including: Systems biology and biological complexity lectures, Seminars and lectures in systems biology, Intensive summer research experience, and Exposure to diverse research environments.   This program is housed in Life Sciences.

Funding:           Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 9/1/06 – 8/31/10
PI:                   Greg Buck

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Pre-College Outreach Initiative
Jan Chlebowski, Institution Director

This program is designed to foster children's interest in and knowledge of science and inspire them to consider careers in basic and health sciences through classroom, laboratory and field activities. VCU will develop programs to increase math and science literacy for students in Central Virginia, enhance research and life sciences training for K-12 science teachers and expand Internet-based life sciences videos and lessons to teachers and students nationwide. The initiative includes four major components, including a summer enrichment day camp for elementary school students and a school-year program for middle and high school students to learn about biology, human physiology and careers in medicine and life science research.   This program is housed in Life Sciences.

Funding:           Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 9/1/07 – 8/31/12
PI:                   Richard J. Rezba

Summer Residential Governor’s School for Life Sciences and Medicine
Richard J. Rezba, Director, Center for Life Sciences Education

High school juniors and seniors spend a total of four weeks at Virginia Commonwealth University discovering the newly emerging fields and advancements that will revolutionize health care and life sciences in the 21st century. Governor’s School students will experience three modules: clinical, molecular and environmental science. For the final week, students will work in groups on a project in one of the three areas. During the four-week program, students and staff live on-site at VCU as they explore and develop ideas and data together.

Funding:           VA Department of Education, 5/1/07 – 3/1/08
PI:                   Thomas Huff

Bioinformatics and Bioengineering Summer Institute
Jeff Elhai, Director

Virginia Commonwealth University's Bioinformatics and Bioengineering Summer Institute accepts students every year into a two-year program, designed to make tangible, through an intense research experience, the possibilities of a career in bioinformatics or bioengineering.

Funding:           National Science Foundation, National Institute of                        Health 8/15/06 – 7/31/09
PI:                   Greg Buck

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) (NSF)
Suzanne Ruder, Department of Chemistry

Ten students will participate in the REU program that begins with a three-day training period teaching basic skills common to all scientific research, and developing the perspectives and career planning components. Full-time research begins after this three-day period. Development of the perspectives component continues with regular meetings and presentations from faculty and from local industrial collaborators. The students oral and written communication skills are developed throughout the program by completing a written proposal, revising their personal statements submitted as part of their application and preparing and presenting a poster of their work at the halfway point and an oral presentation for the final symposium. Written reports of the students research results are also submitted at the conclusion of the program. Four teachers from area Public Schools will also participate in a seven-week RET program, doing research in faculty labs. The RET program includes two teachers who participated in the previous summers program and two teachers recommended by the returning teachers. Teachers join in all REU activities, write a research proposal and give halfway-point and final presentations on their research.

Funding:           National Science Foundation, 4/1/06 – 3/31/07
PI:                   Suzanne Ruder

Virginia Nebraska Alliance
Terone Green

The Virginia-Nebraska Alliance (The Alliance) is a unique partnership between unlikely partners to address the national need to diversify the healthcare and research workforce. The Alliance was formed in September 2004 between the five Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs) within Virginia: J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, the University of Nebraska Medical Center(UNMC) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In 2006 The Alliance welcomed the University of Richmond (UofR), the University of Virginia (UVA), and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) as academic partners. This model partnership between academic health science centers and HBCUs can be replicated across the nation to find “missing persons” in healthcare and research professions. The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program is an Intensive academic science review, opportunities to interact with current graduate students, weekly clinical learning opportunities. Summer Research - VCU, UNMC, UVA, EVMS offers Full-time summer research experience, enrichment seminars, and poster presentation at end of summer. Through the Summer Research Experience (High School), Students would participate in an innovative program that introduces them to the health sciences, through an early educational initiative that fosters academic achievement, career development and enrichment experiences in the health sciences.  Students would participate in a researched based curriculum that conforms to the standards of learning and incorporates the core academic subjects of science, math and reading.  Students would have an opportunity to see first hand the relationship between academic preparation and skills needed to be successful in the health care arena.  Alliance medical and research professionals would provide hands on activities that stimulate and encourage student learning.  

VUU MARC U*STAR Program

MARC U*STAR is a program funded by the NIGMS branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of the program is to increase the pool of well-prepared minority students who can compete successfully for admission into, and completion of Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. This goal is achieved through a strengthened undergraduate curriculum in the sciences including new, innovative, and lab-intensive courses, research training, and internships. The academic units participating in this program are biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and psychology. The research training component takes place at various departments at the Medical Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, and The University of Richmond.

Funding:           National Institutes of Health, 9/1/93 – 5/31/08
PI:                   Anthony Madu, Virginia Union University