Three UNC Pembroke students gained enriching cancer research experience during a summer internship training program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Nevaeh Roverato, Anthonia Oladeji and Jayla Locklear participated in the Cancer Equity Research Training at North Carolina (CERT-NC), a consortium made up of students from UNCP, North Carolina A&T University, Winston-Salem State University and the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University.

The training program's objective was to promote and enhance the diversity of the future cancer research workforce by providing undergraduates from under-represented populations with opportunities for short-term research experiences.

The students worked alongside Ph.D. students and research doctors with their specific research. Roverato’s research focused on the detection of repair of cisplatin-induced DNA adducts. Oladej’s presentation was entitled “stem cell factor derived from cancer cells induces the sprouting of sensory neurons through its receptor c-kit.” Locklear’s research centered on applying GIS-based tools to assess lung and bronchus cancer disparity and risk factors in North Carolina.

Participants received hands-on experiences in laboratory research under selected mentors. They attended seminars and didactic lectures on basic and clinical aspects of cancer and took part in clinical shadowing in cancer clinics. They presented their research at a cancer symposium at the end of the eight-week training.