The Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute Student Research Program
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” -Benjamin Franklin
PHLBI provides undergraduate student interns from nearby colleges, UCLA and LMU, early career training and mentorship in medical research. Our interns are given hands-on educational opportunities that are difficult to obtain at their host universities as undergraduate students. At PHLBI, our interns have the unique opportunity to gain real-world experience and fill meaningful roles in medical research at a young age. In return, PHLBI’s core mission of conducting cancer immunotherapy research benefits from their involvement.
Last year we received over 250 applicants from students wanting to work in our lab. and we could only accommodate less than a dozen. That level of demand clearly shows the students think it’s worthwhile.
Meet our students and learn a little about what motivates them to be involved in PHLBI’s research.
“Working at PHLBI was my first exposure to research and has pushed me to pursue a career in academic medicine. From processing tissue specimen, to growing and modifying mesenchymal stem cell lines, to conducting clinical research, I’ve been able to see the small, incremental steps necessary for answering a research question and have grown to appreciate what it takes to advance medicine by actually getting to do it. PHLBI has given me a glimpse into the challenges and rewards of advocating for patients at every step in the process of their care.”
“By working in the lab with live tissue obtained from patients’ surgeries, I have come to understand how closely research and clinical treatments are linked. The findings obtained from an experiment in the lab can directly provide the knowledge required for the development of clinical treatments, which is incredibly exciting. I find fulfillment in knowing that my daily work with cell cultures could contribute not only to the general body of scientific knowledge but also someday to improving patient’s lives”.
“As an intern at Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, I have learned how to apply my textbook knowledge to real experiments. Under the guidance of their scientists and Dr. Cameron, I am able to design, conduct, and analyze experiments that track cell growth and viability with the addition of different interleukins. I am very thankful to be able to participate in research that can potentially help so many patients and their families.”
PMC Executive Director Clare Cameron Discussing the Student Internship Program at the 7th International Symposium for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Established in 2002, the vision of The Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI) is to rapidly develop innovative ideas into effective cancer therapies. The mission of PHLBI is to generate hope through research, support, and education.
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