Careers in Cancer | UVM Cancer Center | The University of Vermont(title)

Careers in Cancer is an immersive hands-on experience for high school students in Vermont. The Careers in Cancer series was developed to address the ongoing shortage of oncology workers in the U.S., as the incidence of cancer increases, patients live longer, and many oncology professionals reach retirement.
Scientist explaining how to do cancer research in space.

Keynote Speakers

Each year, the UVM Cancer Center brings in a new keynote speaker. In 2024, the keynote address, Why Do Cancer Research in Space?, was delivered by Luis Zea, Ph.D., the founder of Jaguar Space and an aerospace engineer and gravitational microbiology scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Three high school students in a classroom.

Small Group Learning

In addition to hearing from a keynote speaker, students are broken into small groups, interacting with Cancer Center members to learn about career pathways in cancer research and treatment.

Student peers in to a microscope at the UVM Cancer Center. Students visit a shared resource lab at the UVM Cancer Center. Students tour the Roberts Lab at the UVM Cancer Center.

Lab Tours

They also visit UVM labs to meet with Cancer Center faculty and student researchers and see their work first-hand. Demonstrations include viewing cancer cells through microscopy techniques, observing specialized laboratory equipment, and witnessing demonstrations on growing and visualizing crystals.

Testimonials

Chris Hood, a math teacher at Champlain Valley High School who brought students both in 2022 and 2024

Body

“I thought it was an informative and illuminating session. Every student got something different. If you were looking through a medical lens, you heard doctors tell you how they ended up at the Cancer Center. For others, they're more interested in lab work because they're interested in biology right now. And for others it was more of a personal connection to a family member or friend who had experienced cancer.” 

Ariel Toohey, a junior at CVU who attended in both 2022 and 2024

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“My experience at the conference definitely expanded my interest in pursuing a science-based career, which I had just begun to consider at the time,” said  “While I don't know if my future career will be cancer-based or not, hearing from the speakers and exploring the lab facilities made it plausible that I could pursue a similar path in college and beyond. Everyone who attended seemed to be excited about what they had learned. I'm sure many people had an increased interest in and knowledge about cancer research after attending the conference.” 

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