Principal Investigator: Kemi Jona, PhD
Development of an Oncofertility Curriculum for high school girls.
The Oncofertility Saturday Academy was founded in 2007 to expose high school students to laboratory and medical science research in the fields of cancer, fertility, and oncofertility. The keystone educational program of the Women’s Health Science Program, the program educates students at four locations around the country: Chicago, IL; San Diego, CA; Phildadelphia, PA; and Oregon (with a fifth in development in Denver, CO).
The programs include laboratory learning experiences in mouse ovary dissections, ovarian follicle encapsulation, DNA analysis, immunohistochemistry, in vitro fertilization, and developmental processes of sea urchins and frogs. Clinical learning experiences include performing breast and pelvic exams on simulation models, operating the daVinci surgical robot under the supervision of surgeons, and performing embryology techniques. In addition, bioethicists facilitate and guide the high school students to apply an ethical framework to discuss the various perspectives connected to the field of oncofertility.
Learn more about OSA in Chicago
Learn more about OSA in San Diego
Publications
Faurot M, Woodruff TK. The Oncofertility Saturday Academy: A Paradigm to Expand the Educational Opportunities and Ambitions of High School Girls. Cancer Treatment and Research. 2010; 156; 321-44. PMID: 20811845.
This research was supported by the Oncofertility Consortium®, funded by the National Institutes of Health through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, Grant UL1DE19587 and RL5CA133836.