The CUPID Program

Cancer in the Under-Privileged, Indigent or Disadvantaged (CUPID) is a unique program that is designed to address the chronic problem of persistent cancer health disparities. The CUPID program is an 7 week summer fellowship for medical students who have demonstrated interest in caring for underserved populations and who are exploring careers in oncology. Key features of the CUPID program are:

• A structured, mentored research experience in the high profile oncology laboratories of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.
• A series of didactic lectures by senior clinical and research faculty that provide an overview of the molecular basis of cancer, general oncologic principles, problems in clinical oncology and cancer health disparities.
• Half-day clinical rotations that provide exposure to the clinical practice of medical, radiation and surgical oncology.
• Day program conducted by faculty of the National Cancer Institute

By bringing a diverse group of highly motivated students together for an intensive oncology experience early in their training, we expect to instill an enthusiasm for oncology in a group of future caregivers who are most likely to serve the underserved.

Lecture topics

Lecture topics are reassessed and updated each year. Past topics have included:

• Overview of Cancer
• Overview of Cancer Therapy
• Controlling Cancer Through Research
• Cancer Genetics
• Prostate cancer in African American males
• Radiobiology
• Radiation therapy
• Cancer Immunology
• Stem Cells and Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• HIV and Cancer
• Hematological Malignancies
• Cancer Pain
• Prostate Cancer
• Genetics of Breast Cancer
• Breast Cancer Therapy
• Lung Cancer
• Disparities
• Advocacy
• Colorectal Cancer
• Barriers to Research
• Barriers to Therapy in Older Patients
• Inherited Cancer