UNM Health Sciences Center receives $22K grant for cancer research

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Thanks to a diversity grant from the American Cancer Society, the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center received $22,000.

Dr. Jennifer Gillette, an associate professor and senior director for UNM’s Department of Pathology, said the money is for cancer research. Students enrolled in a 10-week program will help out.

“The Undergraduate Pipeline Network is a program that brings undergraduates from across the state of New Mexico but also from outside of New Mexico to experience everything we have here to offer at University of New Mexico,” Dr. Gillette said.

More than 30 underrepresented minority students are in the network. The grant paid to add four more students.

“It’s really one of those first-step opportunities to experience research and what it means to do research," Dr. Gillette said. "In particular, in this grant, it’s cancer research. The idea is that it’s opening doors and opportunities for students to see what opportunities are available in the biomedical sciences."

The students will have research mentorship, career development seminars and team building exercises. The four students under the grant will have follow-ups after the program ends.

“This really just opens the eyes of students, and that’s really our goal — to see there’s a lot of opportunity there for bright, talented students in the biomedical sciences,” Dr. Gillette said.

The program is now on its third week.

Dr. Gillette said there are several other sources to fund the program, but this is the first year the ACS has offered this grant.