Fox Chase Cancer Center to Host Career Event for High School Students

PHILADELPHIA (May 11, 2015)—Hundreds of high school students are expected to visit the Fox Chase Cancer Center campus—333 Cottman Ave. in Northeast Philadelphia—as the Center hosts its Immersion Science Health Careers Symposium 2015 on Saturday, May 16, from 7 am to 4:30 pm. During this free, full-day event, more than 100 Fox Chase faculty and staff members will help students learn about potential careers in medicine, nursing, laboratory science, information technology, health administration, and more.

Structured like a professional scientific conference, the symposium will feature plenary sessions with brief lectures along with more focused, breakout sessions offering hands-on experience in various fields. In addition, the day will include a college fair as well as keynote presentations by former Fox Chase student researchers who have successfully entered into health-related careers. This year, special lectures have been added for teachers to take hands-on, laboratory science into their classrooms. Lunch will be provided for all participants.

“The idea is to provide a comprehensive and interactive experience, introducing students to the variety of careers available within a medical institution,” noted cancer biology researcher Alana O’Reilly, PhD—who introduced the inaugural symposium in 2013, and along with Immersion Science Program coordinator Dara Ruiz-Whalen, is responsible for organizing the event.

In addition to its biennial symposium, the Immersion Science Program builds on Fox Chase’s decades-long history of providing mentorship to talented high school students by offering a competitive laboratory research training course. Select individuals interested in future careers in science and medicine are admitted at no cost to this 10-week, college-level course each year.

Online registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis for the Immersion Science Health Careers Symposium 2015. For more information and to register, visit the Fox Chase website at foxchase.org/research/high-school. Event updates also are posted to the Immersion Science Program’s Facebook page at facebook.com/FoxChaseCancerCenterImmersionScienceProgram. 

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427

Resize Text