Future BTI Students Getting an Early Start

In mid-February, the leadership team of the University of Maryland, Baltimore  (UMB) Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences or CURE Scholars program and campus development staff visited BTI for a tour. BTI and CURE leadership started discussions on how students from neighboring West Baltimore schools could get hands-on laboratory skills and experience to motivate them to complete CURE and move into life sciences jobs on campus and in the broader community.

ED Leslie Prewitt shared her excitement about the visit and future potential. “In a few short years, the UMB CURE Scholars program has drawn national praise for its goal of offering diverse students from low income communities an intensive multi-year exposure to STEM education, research opportunities and mentoring. In addition, these scholars have access to meaningful healthcare research at all levels,” she said. “We hope we can make a significant difference with these young people by providing them with a taste of what happens in the laboratory and further motivation to understand and improve access to quality healthcare in their communities.”

UMB CURE is a groundbreaking program that prepares 6th – to 12th-grade students in Baltimore for competitive, lucrative, and rewarding research and health care careers at UMB and other health institutions in the region. Initially funded by the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE), the original program was established by the NCI’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) in 1999 to help support under-represented students in biomedical research and career development.

CURE’s pipeline approach provides career navigation, workforce training, and mentorship to diverse scholars at all stages of academic and career development.

BTI and CURE share a common goal to build a diverse biomedical workforce critical to addressing the health needs of all Americans and eliminating cancer health disparities in the nation.

For more information on CURE visit  https://www.umaryland.edu/cure-scholars/