The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has been selected as one of five leading cancer centers nationwide to participate in an innovative program that introduces deaf high school students to careers in cancer research and health care.
Developed at the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, the Future Deaf Scientists program has connected deaf students with hands-on experience in cancer research and clinical settings for the past four years. With support from the National Cancer Institute, the program is expanding to four partner sites across the U.S — including the Markey Cancer Center, Stanford Cancer Institute, Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and Yale Cancer Center. Together, the new programs aim to reach more than 100 deaf students annually.
Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, the UK Markey Cancer Center will partner with the Kentucky School for the Deaf to offer the transformative summer internship program to local students.
“This partnership will create new opportunities for deaf students in Kentucky to explore careers in cancer science and medicine,” said Nathan Vanderford, Ph.D., an associate professor in UK’s College of Medicine who will lead the program. “By connecting students with cutting-edge research and dedicated mentors, the program will open doors for young people who have traditionally been underrepresented in these fields.”
The Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD), located in Danville, has served deaf and hard-of-hearing students since 1823, making it the first state-supported school of its kind in the U.S. According to the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, approximately 700,000, or 16%, of Kentuckians are deaf or hard of hearing.
During the four-week summer program, KSD students will intern at Markey to learn about various aspects of oncology and cancer research. Through shadowing and classroom instruction, they will experience a day in the life of oncologists, surgeons, nursing staff and cancer researchers. Students will also get the chance to meet prominent deaf medical professionals and researchers both locally and from around the country.
Future Deaf Scientists was designed to create opportunities that do not naturally exist for deaf students, says Wyatte Hall, Ph.D., the program’s co-director and assistant professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).
“The program exposes students to many different aspects of medicine and science and very intentionally engages them with Deaf role models who have PhDs and MDs so they can see the possibilities for themselves when considering their life directions,” Hall said. “In many ways, I simply tried to create the opportunities I wished I had in high school as a Deaf person.”
Deaf experts including Hall helped design and refine the program at URMC, working extensively to ensure the curriculum was scientifically rich and culturally appropriate and that necessary resources, like American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters trained in science and medical terminology, were abundant.
Before the program launches at partner sites next fall, this deaf-led team will support the new partner cancer centers with training for ASL interpreters, as well as a mentor training program to ensure hearing teachers understand deaf students’ culture, experiences, and diversity of communication methods and needs.