A Summer Educational Program for Early Medical Student Exposure to Multidisciplinary Oncology: A Pilot Experience

Abstract

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, highlighting the need to strengthen the oncology workforce. Undergraduate medical education often lacks sufficient exposure to oncology, particularly radiation oncology, resulting in limited awareness of the specialty. Structured rotations in oncology, along with mentorship and research opportunities, have been shown to increase interest in oncology and support entry into these fields. To address this gap, we implemented a summer rotation between the first and second years of medical school at our institution to provide early exposure to oncology. The rotation incorporated clinical experiences across multiple oncologic specialties, anchored in radiation oncology, along with research opportunities and mentorship. Two students participated in the rotation. Both rated the experience as “excellent” and subsequently contributed to scholarly work in radiation oncology, including an abstract and a manuscript on spatially fractionated radiation therapy (GRID) for the management of bulky tumors. Following medical school, one student matched into Family Medicine, while the other matched into Internal Medicine, with continued interest in pursuing a medical oncology fellowship. These findings suggest that early, structured exposure to oncology may represent an important first step in increasing medical student interest in radiation oncology and oncology-related specialties. Such multidisciplinary approaches may also support improved understanding of oncology care and facilitate early academic engagement within the field.