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Success Stories

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Testimonials from 2020 SURF Alumni

I had no idea how necessary bioinformatics was in research until SURF.

SURF helped extremely in tailoring my higher education goals because I didn't know the M.D./M.P.H. existed let alone something that could be completed in four years.

I found the "How to pick an appropriate graduate school mentor"session useful because before SURF I've never heard anyone mention such a seemingly important piece of information. Just in the session alone I got to see a wide range of mentoring styles so it really drove home the point that not all mentors are the same and the importance of one matching your values, learning style etc.

I was impressed by the matching of mentors to mentees, it seems like there was a lot of thought put into that which I appreciate.

So appreciative of the virtual format. I know it was not easy to pull off but I can't express enough how great it was. I had a great relationship with my mentor and I will be continuing to work with him throughout the year, which is telling of how good the matching process was!

I just want to say here that SURF was everything and more that I was hoping for.

I'm extremely thankful for SURF and the many people who backed this virtual program. Even though SURF was virtual it was engaging throughout the entire 10 weeks. I've learned so much more than I ever thought possible through SURF and gained the confidence I need to pursue a dual degree.

Given the summer's circumstances, the program went above and beyond my expectations for a shift to virtual work and offered us enriching and engaging experience throughout the summer.

Testimonials from 2019 SURF Alumni

This was truly a valuable research experience. I especially enjoyed my PI’s mentorship, the insight I got from the sessions and the outings that were organized for us.

This program has helped me narrow down my options for my future academic/career goals. All mentors and staff of this program made sure the students were enjoying their time and that the experience was what they wanted it to be.

I had a lot of fun in this program and it was very informational and inspiring! I learned a lot and made a lot of great connections. Meeting all these new people was one of the best parts of this summer, and I would definitely recommend applying to this program to any student interested in research.

This was a great experience. I now know what I want to do in the future and I now have the confidence to do it.


Publications from SURF Alumni

Leah Dodds (Mentor: Dr. Sophia George, Cancer Biology)
CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (C/EBPδ) demonstrates a dichotomous role in tumour initiation and promotion of epithelial carcinoma.
Sowamber R, Chehade R, Bitar M, Dodds LV, Milea A, Slomovitz B, Shaw PA, George SHL.
EBioMedicine. 2019 Jun;44:261-274. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.05.002. Epub 2019 May 9.
PMID: 31078521

Rolando Lyles (University of Pennsylvania, 2015, 2016 SURF student, Mentor: Dr. Kerry Burnstein, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology)
Targeting AR Variant-Coactivator Interactions to Exploit Prostate Cancer Vulnerabilities.
Magani F, Peacock SO, Rice MA, Martinez MJ, Greene AM, Magani PS, Lyles R, Weitz JR, Burnstein KL.
Mol Cancer Res. 2017 Nov;15(11):1469-1480. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-17-0280. Epub 2017 Aug 15.
PMID:28811363

Eric Perez (University of Miami, 2018, 2019 SURF student, Mentor: Dr. Feng Gong, Biochemistry)
Role of deubiquitinases in DNA damage response.
Le J, Perez E, Nemzow L, Gong F.
DNA Repair (Amst). 2019 Apr;76:89-98. doi: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2019.02.011. Epub 2019 Feb 21. Review.
PMID: 30831436

Brianna Yaffe (University of Florida, 2017 SURF student, Mentor: Dr. Sulagna Banerjee, Surgery)
Pre-clinical evaluation of Minnelide as a therapy for acute myeloid leukemia.
Giri B, Gupta VK, Yaffe B, Modi S, Roy P, Sethi V, Lavania SP, Vickers SM, Dudeja V, Banerjee S, Watts J, Saluja A.
J Transl Med. 2019 May 20;17(1):163. doi: 10.1186/s12967-019-1901-8. Erratum in: J Transl Med. 2019 Sep 4;17(1):301.
PMID: 31109340