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Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship Program

We fund undergraduate students to take part in a summer internship in cancer research. The program targets students who are part of an under-represented minority (URM) group in health-related science careers.

Learn more about the ACS Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship program

About DICR Internships

The Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship Program is part of the Diversity in Cancer Research Program within Extramural Discovery Science.

The DICR internship program targets under-represented minority (URM) undergraduate college students to increase their awareness of, and enthusiasm for, opportunities to work in cancer research. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of URM cancer researchers.

Internship Program in General

DICR interns spend 10 weeks during the summer engaging in hands-on research. They’re mentored by an accomplished investigator in a cancer research lab or in a clinical or community setting.

Interns receive a stipend of $500 a week, for a total of $5,000 for the summer internship. They additionally receive an allowance to help offset housing and travel costs or to cover expenses related to networking and career-development activities. No academic credit is awarded. 

Throughout the year, interns engage in planned, career-development and networking activities.

The goal is to have the program fund 100 DICR internships a year, starting in the summer of 2023. The program started in 2021 with 8 universities and funded 32 summer internships. It was so successful that in 2022, 12 universities were awarded with funding for 81 summer internships.

How Universities Are Funded

Universities receive funding for the DICR internships by applying for, and being awarded, supplemental funding through the Institutional Research Grant (IRG).  In both 2021 and 2022, all universities that applied for supplemental funding were approved.

Funding to launch the DICR internships was from the generous support of the DeLuca Foundation, an endowment from Elizabeth and Phill Gross and their family, Merck, and multiple others.

University-Specific Internships

Interns are selected by funded universities. IRGs awarded supplemental funding use an institutional selection committee to choose 4 to 10 interns. Each university sets criteria and the process for intern applications and review. 

To learn more about the internship eligibility and the application process, see FAQ: Diversity in Cancer Research Internship.

Center circle says DICR Internship Research, smaller circles overlap the periphery: cultural competency, research communication skills, Research Symposium, DICR-Specific Activities, Professional Development, Cohort Building Activities, Introduction to research
This graphic was adapted from the American Cancer Society DICR internship program at the University of New Mexico.

For all questions, contact: DiversityResearchTraining@cancer.org

Impact of the DICR Internship Program

Learn what students, mentors, and staff have to say about the ACS DICR internship program.

Universities Awarded DICR Internship Supplemental IRG Funding

In the pilot program during the summer of 2021, 8 universities kicked off the American Cancer Society (ACS) Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) internships. For the summer of 2022, 12 Universities will have ACS DICR interns.

Each program follows the same general course and is tailored by universities to highlight their biomedical science research and resources.
Row of college-age men and women, black man with beard and brown shirt next to white woman with long brown hair and glasses next to Asian young man next to African American woman with afro and golden yellow shirt next to white girl with pony tail in overalls

Students Participating in ACS DICR Programs

In 2021, 32 undergraduate students participated in a Diversity in Cancer Internship funded by the American Cancer Society. In 2022, there are 81. By the summer of 2023,  the goal is to provide funding to partner institutions to facilitate a minimum of 100 biomedical research internships a year (1,000 projected in total over 10 years), to undergraduate students.

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