Stanford University has a stated goal of training a diverse group of students, including underrepresented minorities (URM), those with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A particular highlight for the Cancer-TNT Program is access to Dr. Sofie Kelppner, who will serve on our Advisory Committee.  She has committed to assist us in accessing and selecting Underrepesented, Disabled, or Disadvantaged Minorities (UMR) candidates into the program and will help build mentorship teams that address the diversity in the scientific training of this program. 

We participate in the “Stanford Diversity Outreach for Doctoral Education - Centers of Influence Recruitment Retreat(STANDOUT-COI)” program, which brings faculty and administrators who help prepare URM and women undergraduates for graduate school to our campus, where they learn from Stanford faculty, staff, and students about PhD studies at Stanford, and advise us how to best partner with their program to attract and retain a diverse pool of trainees to the Cancer-TNT program.

We will work with our Faculty Development and Diversity Office in additon with Dr. Kleppner at the Postdoctoral Affairs Office to reach out to specific members in the Cancer Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering graduate programs at institutions on the White House Initiative of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

All trainees, including URMs, will find significant resources at the following website:http://postdocs.stanford.edu/. There are also a number of groups on campus that serve several specific URM populations, including the Stanford American Indian Organization, the Society of Black Scientists and Engineers, the Stanford Society of Chicano/Latino Engineers and Scientists, and the Society of Women Engineers.