Bridgette L. Jones, MD, MSCR
Marion Merrell Dow Endowed Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology; Staff Physician, Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology; Staff Physician, Allergy/Asthma/Immunology; Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Education Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full BiographyAndrea Bradley-Ewing, MPA, MA
Computational Research Faculty; Director of Community Engagement Research, Health Services and Outcomes Research
Full BiographyKeith Feldman, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Full BiographyKaela M Varberg, PhD
Doctoral Research Faculty; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Research Assistant Professor of Pathology, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full Biography
Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) is on the forefront of pediatric research to improve the health and wellbeing of children everywhere. To build on its successes today, CMRI recognizes the importance of creating a career pathway for tomorrow’s researchers who will drive future medical breakthroughs. With that in mind, CMRI has developed internal mentoring programs for students in high school, college, graduate school and beyond. CMRI researchers also participate in external programs that place student interns at area organizations. Below, we highlight those programs.
Programs for High School Students
STAR 2.0
Launched in 2021, the Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR) 2.0 Program is led by Bridgette Jones, MD, MSCR, and Vickie Yarbrough, MA, BA. STAR 2.0 provides six weeks of hands-on research experience during the summer academic break for high school students and educators. The program gives students from historically marginalized demographics a view into the varied medical and scientific careers and pathways, with the goal of increasing the diversity of clinicians and scientists.
“There are many talented and motivated students in the KC community,” said Dr. Jones. “This program provides these exceptional students with the opportunity to further realize their potential in pursuing research and/or health care related careers. Our hope is that this program will in the long run help to further enhance research innovation by bringing in more diverse voices who want to tackle some of our biggest health care issues.”
About the program
STAR 2.0 participants work with Children’s Mercy Kansas City (CMKC) faculty on original research projects, develop a research publication for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, network with other students and educators and tour CMKC departments. They also attend lectures and presentations from CMKC researchers and clinicians.
Our hope is that this program will in the long run help to further enhance research innovation by bringing in more diverse voices who want to tackle some of our biggest health care issues.
This summer, 19 high school students, four educators and over 50 Children’s Mercy research staff and physicians participated in the program.
Besides offering an inside perspective of the world of science and medicine, the program also provides students and teachers a stipend to attend, which allows full participation for those planning to work over summer break.
Thoughts from the participants
STAR 2.0 participant Michelle Ngatara, high school junior, reflected on how the program impacted her career goals. “Before, I was leaning towards a clinical career like a pharmacist,” she said. “Now that I have had more experience —especially working with Dr. Dhar, it helped me realize that I want to do research, hopefully epigenetic research or being an immunologist. I just loved being in the lab. I loved being able to create my own project and work on it and reap the rewards.” Debarpan Dhar, PhD, MSc, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, was one of this year’s STAR 2.0 mentors.
Participant Cameron McFarlin, a high school junior, is considering a career as a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon or in emergency medicine. He appreciated learning from and networking with clinicians. “My favorite experience in the program was the networking opportunity and going to lectures, getting contacts,” said McFarlin. “I’ve already been in contact, and I’m going to keep in contact with them after the program.”
Scholarships for participants
With philanthropic support, in August 2023, the STAR 2.0 program offered $2,000 college scholarships for the first time to six former STAR 2.0 participants. The program was also able to provide funding for prior students to take ACT/SAT prep courses. The program hopes to continue these supports in the future with additional funding.
Funding
STAR 2.0 received initial funding from CMRI for pilot development and from the Office of Equity and Diversity for program director staffing. In 2022, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, provided additional sponsorship funding. The program also received funding from the BlueScope Foundation, the Abe and Anna Bograd Memorial Trust and the Stark Wolkoff Foundation.
ProX
An initiative of the Ewing Kauffman Foundation, ProX is a program that connects students to professional experiences through paid internships with Kansas City-area employers, including CMKC. This past summer, CMKC hosted 19 ProX interns. Two of those interns, Arleth Varela and Itzel Arevalo, worked with Andrea Bradley-Ewing, MPA, MA, Senior Director of Community Engaged Research and her team at CMRI.
“The ProX program allows area high school students to gain exposure and experience various careers,” said Bradley-Ewing. “Many students have never been exposed to research or contemplated research as a career. Our participation in the program is important in that it allows students to learn about and explore research career opportunities and contribute to advancing research at CMRI.”
Many students have never been exposed to research or contemplated research as a career. Our participation in the program is important in that it allows students to learn about and explore research career opportunities and contribute to advancing research at CMRI.
About their project
Varela and Arevalo worked with the Community-Engaged Research team on a collaborative project between CMRI and The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City to make scientific research fun and engaging for children of all ages. As part of the collaboration, CMRI team members will visit the museum to demonstrate science experiments to children and explain how the experiments connect to medical research.
Designing a 12-Month curriculum
For the project, Varela and Arevalo helped design a 12-month curriculum of activities for the partnership. They learned about ongoing research at CMRI and then translated complex scientific research processes into activities that elementary school aged children would enjoy.
Some examples from their curriculum include:
- Explaining genomics research in which DNA is extracted from a patient to help diagnose a rare medical condition by comparing it to extracting DNA from a strawberry.
- Incorporating a lesson on social determinants of health by implementing a scavenger hunt to convey that where someone live impacts opportunities to engage in certain health behaviors like buying and consuming fruits and vegetables.
- Sharing the importance of precision medicine through a slime-making “precision activator” activity.
Highlight of working with the interns
“The highlight of working with Arleth and Itzel was watching their passion, creativity and growth as they developed the curriculum,” said Bradley-Ewing. “Their ideas were unique and child-centered and will hopefully lead the way in introducing pediatric scientific research to younger children and spur the next generation’s curiosity in scientific careers.”
ProX Annual Showcase
As a culmination of their work, Varela and Arevalo presented at the ProX Annual Showcase, a one-day event where all 300 ProX interns across the Kansas City metro participated in a pitch presentation competition. The interns presented the project they worked on and asked for funds to bring their vision to life. Varela and Arevalo’s pitch presentation placed in the top 20.
In addition to their work with the Community-Engaged Research team, Varela and Arevalo joined the other CMKC ProX interns for weekly presentations from CMKC clinicians and staff on careers in health care.
Programs for College Students and Beyond
Research Summer Scholars
In summer 2024, 11 college students from around the country converged on CMRI to participate in the Research Summer Scholars program. The program provides students an opportunity to undertake specifically designed research projects under the mentorship of CMKC clinicians and scientists. The students also attend weekly seminars on topics related to academic research. At the end of the program, they highlight their research at a poster session and formal presentation to their peers, mentors and research staff.
About the program
Research Summer Scholars began almost 30 years ago, and more than 100 students have participated. Participants have a wide variety of interests and college majors — from premed to bioinformatics – and they work with mentors throughout the organization. Each scholar works 40 hours a week and receives a competitive, hourly salary. The program runs for 10 to 12 weeks.
Keith Feldman, PhD, Health Services and Outcomes Research, is the Research Summer Scholars faculty director, and Jennifer Pearl, Bioethics Center, is the program coordinator. Both noted that one of the goals of the program is to encourage careers in biomedical research. “This program is an opportunity for us to grow trainees,” said Dr. Feldman. “Although we don’t have a formal degree program for nonclinical training, this program aligns with our educational mission as an academic center, and we can provide research experience to undergraduates.”
Equally important to Dr. Feldman and Pearl is that the program offers tangible benefits to the students, like providing a steppingstone to a research career. “The scholars work hard while here, and our goal is to provide back to the students,” said Dr. Feldman. “This is an opportunity for us to help them with their career trajectory. We want them to get something from the program.”
Thoughts from a 2024 scholar
In 2024, Twisha Nadella, a junior at the University of South Florida, worked on a newborn screening project with mentor Courtney Berrios, MSc, ScM, CGC, Genomic Medicine Center. Nadella analyzed parent interview data. “Before the program, I knew I was interested in health care, but I wasn't sure if I would also want to pursue research,” said Nadella. “After this experience, I realized I really enjoy research and definitely want to incorporate that into my future career.”
Pathway to research for former scholars
After completing the summer program, some summer scholars stay on at CMKC. “The scholars love to stay on in some role because it offers them a great opportunity,” said Pearl. “For example, some of the scholars are working on manuscripts from their research.”
John Tumberger, Research Assistant, Adolescent Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, participated in the program in 2021 and worked on a research project with mentor Stephani Stancil, PhD, APRN, Adolescent Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology. After the program, he worked remotely with Dr. Stancil during the school year and joined CMKC full time following graduation in December 2021. He is now a second-year medical student at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and continues to work with Dr. Stancil. “The Summer Scholar program jumpstarted my desire for a career in academic medicine and clinical research,” said Tumberger. “I'm extremely thankful for everything that has come from this experience.”
The Summer Scholar program jumpstarted my desire for a career in academic medicine and clinical research. I'm extremely thankful for everything that has come from this experience.
ASTRA Collective
While recruiting for a graduate student trainee, Kaela Varberg, PhD, Independent Investigator, Neonatology, recognized a need for CMRI to provide a support system for its research trainees. She developed the idea of a group for trainees that would offer peer mentoring, support, and networking as well as career and professional development activities.
With the support of CMRI leadership, Dr. Varberg launched the ASTRA (Aspiring Scientist and Trainees for Research Advancement) Collective. “ASTRA Collective’s mission is to support and train the next generation of researchers,” she said.
About the group
All CMRI trainees engaged in research are encouraged to join, including graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. “While we originally created the group for people on the scientist track, we welcome anybody at Children’s Mercy who’s participating in research, period,” said Dr. Varberg. “Bringing together a diverse group of people from different training stages and research areas strengthens the group. We value diverse perspectives.”
In March 2024, ASTRA Collective held its kickoff meeting. The group now has more than 50 members. It meets monthly with rotating formats guided by its members interests and needs. This includes group discussions, interactive sessions with internal and external guests, and presentation practice with peers. Dr. Varberg hopes that the group will also help members become more familiar with the resources available at CMRI. For example, at a recent meeting, Aswini Betha, PhD, Director of Commercialization, visited with the group and discussed his role at CMRI and his career path.
Joint event with STAR 2.0
Dr. Varberg was also a STAR 2.0 mentor in summer 2024. At her suggestion, the two groups hosted a joint meeting, which she hopes to make an annual event. “The goal was to get the two groups talking so the CMRI scientists could share their education and career journey and the STAR 2.0 students could ask questions,” she said.
Safe space and recruiting tool
ASTRA Collective also offers trainees and early-career researchers a safe space to discuss a wide range of topics. “We can have discussion groups on uncomfortable topics or challenging issues that come up in a research program,” said Dr. Varberg.
Dr. Varberg also sees the ASTRA Collective as a valuable tool for recruiting new research trainees. “We want to help support current trainees but also recruit new trainees in the future to expand the trainee pipeline to CMRI,” she said. “ASTRA demonstrates that there’s a community of trainees here and they have a support network, an outlet to connect outside of the lab.”
Thoughts from group members
Ashley Howard, Graduate Research Assistant in the Varberg Lab, shared what the ASTRA Collective has meant to her. “The process of preparing for, applying to, and now navigating a PhD in the biomedical sciences hasn't been easy,” she said. “As a first-generation college and graduate student, there are so many unspoken rules and expectations that seem obvious to everyone but me. The ASTRA Collective has helped illuminate these hidden guidelines and empowered me to strive for success. Through it, I've also found connection and a supportive community of people who are either going through the same experience or are willing to offer advice and guidance, having once been in my shoes.”
The most valuable aspect of being a part of ASTRA is that each meeting provides a unique perspective that enables guidance and diversity in research. I also love the community aspect that ASTRA bring to the CMRI.
Priyanka Prem Kumar, Research Specialist, also appreciates being a part of ASTRA Collective. She works in the lab of Jay Vivian, PhD, Director, Rare Disease Model Research Program and Associate Professor in the Division of Clinical Genetics and Department of Pediatrics. “As someone who is very early in their career, ASTRA has provided me with new perspectives and has expanded my knowledge on different topics in research — from career development to mentorship advice,” she said. “The most valuable aspect of being a part of ASTRA is that each meeting provides a unique perspective that enables guidance and diversity in research. I also love the community aspect that ASTRA bring to the CMRI.”