Summer Springboard
Cancer Research & Therapeutics
ON THE CAMPUS OF YALE UNIVERSITY
EXPLORE THE SCIENCE AND COMPASSION OF CANCER CARE AND ONCOLOGY CAREERS
This course is one week long, and you can extend your experience to as many as six weeks by adding additional one-week courses.
Cancer Research & Therapeutics @ Yale University
- Understand how cancer develops and spreads at a fundamental level.
- Learn about chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and newer immunotherapy approaches.
- Explore the human side of cancer care and communication with patients and families.
- Discover how cancer treatments are developed and tested through clinical trials.
- Examine lifestyle factors and genetic testing in cancer prevention.
- Meet with cancer care professionals across different specialties.
Summer Springboard
Cancer Research & Therapeutics
About This Course
Are you interested in understanding cancer biology and exploring the field of cancer care? This summer, dive into the basics of cancer biology and treatment while gaining insight into one of medicine’s most challenging and meaningful specialties.
You’ll be introduced to core concepts about how cancer develops and is treated, covering topics such as cancer cell biology, diagnostic methods, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, immunotherapy and targeted treatments, clinical trial design, patient care and communication, prevention strategies and the interdisciplinary approach to cancer treatment.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
Explore the multifaceted world of cancer care through lab work, patient case analysis and conversations with oncology professionals. Students examine cancer cells under microscopes, learn how different treatments work at the cellular level and work through real treatment planning scenarios. They visit a cancer pathology lab and tour Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale’s comprehensive cancer center, and practice clinical skills in a medical simulation lab.
Career Exploration
Students meet medical oncologists, cancer nurses and researchers who share both scientific breakthroughs and the compassionate approach that defines modern oncology. This program offers a realistic look into one of medicine’s most challenging and meaningful specialties while building students’ understanding of cancer prevention, research and treatment.
RESOURCES
Course Infosheet
Click here to view or download the printable infosheet for this course.
Program Catalog
Click here to request our catalog to learn more about our summer programs and courses.
Campus Page
Click here to view the website page for this campus and learn more.
“The program was everything I thought it would be. It’s an experience that will make you feel connected to other people and to the course itself. It makes you become more comfortable with who you are and the things that you’re passionate about. I really enjoyed everything about it.”
-Imani J. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Cancer Research & Therapeutics
Meet Your Instructor
Christina Matousek is a Registered Nurse and Program Manager at Smilow Cancer Hospital, one of the nation’s leading cancer care institutions. With a career spanning clinical practice, charge nursing, and program leadership, she brings deep expertise in oncology patient care and healthcare professional development.
Christina has held nursing roles at Yale University, Bridgeport Hospital, and Oncology Associates of Bridgeport, and has served as a Clinical Instructor and Nursing Development Specialist at Sacred Heart University — bringing both real-world clinical experience and a genuine passion for teaching into the classroom.
Kylie Kuck is a Doctor of Nursing Practice and board-certified Adult/Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist with over a decade of experience across clinical care, nursing education, and professional development.
Kylie began her career at Yale New Haven Hospital in Solid Organ Transplant and End Stage Liver Disease before joining Smilow Cancer Hospital, where she spent five years as a Nursing Professional Development Specialist in Hematology Oncology, Cellular Therapy, and Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplant. She also works in outpatient addiction services, reflecting a broad commitment to patient care across specialties.
CHRISTINA MATOUSEK
KYLIE KUCK
“Summer Springboard did not only prepare me for a career but also the real world while leaving time to make life long friends and having fun.”
-Addison W. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Cancer Research & Therapeutics
Dates & Tuition
| 2027 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: June 20 – June 26, 2027 |
| Session 4: July 11 – July 17, 2027 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition First Week |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $4,298* |
| Commuter Tuition: $2,498* |
| Course Supplement: $250 |
*Each subsequent week, if combined with other one-week high school courses at Yale: Residential Tuition: $3,298, Commuter Tuition: $1,998
*Apply by November 30 to lock in the lowest prices of the year. Tuition increases on December 1.
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| City: New Haven |
| State: Connecticut |
| Campus: Yale University |
*Schedule is illustrative and is subject to change. Summer Springboard is operated independently of Yale University and is not sponsored or endorsed by the University. The views expressed in connection with the program are not official positions, statements of advice, nor opinions of Yale University and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Yale of any such views or statements.