HICCC Launches New Partnership with LaGuardia Community College

This past June, the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) and LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) launched a new internship program aimed at helping LAGCC students jump-start careers in clinical research. This program will provide students with hands-on experience within the HICCC, not only building their skillset, but also building a pipeline of experienced research assistants coming from a variety of different backgrounds. 

Marilyn Skony Stamm, honorary director of the LaGuardia Community College Foundation Board after serving 15 years as a board member herself and member of the HICCC Cancer Advisory Council, expressed her excitement about this new opportunity. “Having worked with these students for over 15 years I can vouch that they are extremely bright, determined, ambitious and resilient.” she says. “What they often lack are the opportunities to participate in paid internship programs that lead to good job opportunities. That’s what we’re trying to correct.”  

A symbiotic approach to teaching and learning

“An important initiative at Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) and the HICCC is to develop deep partnerships with our communities, and we are hopeful that this program will become a long-lasting partnership between the HICCC and LAGCC,” says Sandra Ryeom, PhD. In addition to being the associate dean of postdoctoral affairs at VP&S, and running her own cancer research lab, Dr. Ryeom is also focused on improving diversity and inclusion in science and medicine as the associate director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) office at the HICCC. “We have a lot to learn from these students and their life experiences and look forward to bi-directional teaching and learning between faculty, staff and trainees at HICCC and LAGCC students.” 

With a focus on real-world experience and professional development, two LAGCC students are selected for a 10-week internship in the Clinical Protocol and Data Management (CPDM) office between their first and second year at LAGCC. Through shadowing faculty and staff across the different units, they will gain exposure to the varying job possibilities as research study assistants. The interns will also spend time in labs throughout the HICCC, delving behind the scenes from basic science to public health research.  

“This program provides economic mobility and opportunities for these incredibly talented individuals within the field of health sciences.” Marilyn says. “Their passion for the medical field is contagious, which is something Sandra and I both experienced when visiting campus.” 

Meet the inaugural interns 

Jonathan Machado, one of two interns selected this summer, applied to the program following years of interest in research and science. “I’ve always loved experimenting, creating new things, and solving problems,” he says. 

As a former professional chef who worked in several kitchens from 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge to K455 Boys and Girls High School, Machado traded in his chef coat for a lab coat after the pandemic. “After seeing so many hotels and restaurants close down and hearing so much information about COVID, I started to become more interested in the science side of things,” he recalls, “I had a whole new vision of how it works, I even started seeing cooking as chemistry.”  

He then participated in a research project centered around infectious diseases, mainly looking into subvariants of SARS-Cov-2. Combining his fascination with research and experience in the kitchen, Machado is boldly heading down a new career path. 

When asked what he is most looking forward to this summer, he mentions his eagerness to learn more about the origin of cancer cells and the relation to nutrition. “I feel like nutrition and wellness play a big part in many health issues, I think this experience will help me understand the science side and combine my past experience working with nutrition.”  

Suborna Singha, a biology major at LAGCC also selected for this summer’s internship, moved to the US four years ago from Bangladesh. She credits her natural sciences and biology professors, along with her advisor, for putting this internship program on her radar. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure at first,” she recalls, “I couldn’t believe that I, a LaGuardia student, had an opportunity to work at Columbia University.”  

Singha started researching the program and discovered it centered around cancer research, causing her to think back to one of her professors who gave a presentation about his own cancer research and how chemotherapy treatments work. “When I told him about this opportunity at Columbia, he immediately said ‘go for it’,” she says, “He was also someone who really motivated me to apply.”  

As a biology student, Singha was always interested in research, but she had not yet found a particular area of interest. It was her professor’s presentation that led her to consider cancer research. “The HICCC seems like a great place to start building the foundational skills needed to advance in this field,” she says. Singha treats every step of her educational journey as an opportunity to learn as much as possible from those around you. “I think the faculty and staff here can provide useful advice and serve as good examples for me. It feels like the right place.”  

A sustainable pipeline to increase diversity in research

Dr. Billie Gastic Rosado, the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at LAGCC, also expressed her excitement about this new partnership and what it means for the students. “I’m so grateful to HICCC for recognizing our students’ talents and giving them such a special opportunity to continue to learn and grow as part of a world-class research institution.” she says. “Jonathan and Suborna are exceptionally motivated students and I look forward to how their professional aspirations are transformed by this experience, under the mentorship of HICCC staff.” 

A full-time position as a research study assistant at the HICCC will be designated annually for LAGCC interns, which they are eligible to apply for upon successful completion of the internship and their associate's degree. Monthly lunchtime mentoring sessions provided by the DEI office and the Cancer Research Training and Education (CRTEC) office will also be available for these LAGCC graduates who go on to work full time with the HICCC. These will include information about professional development, pathways to bachelor’s degrees, growth opportunities within the CPDM, and other healthcare careers and educational opportunities at the HICCC.