UW Bioengineering undergraduate Abbi Helfer was selected for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). SURP is a 9 week internship program that provides students from around the United States with research experience in biomedical fields through an independent research project. This year, 25 students were selected to participate in the program. The program provides a stipend of $4,500 as well as round trip travel expenses for out-of-area students.
During the program, Abbi will work with PI Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem, member of FHCRC’s Clinical Research Division and UW Professor of Medicine, and day-to-day mentor Stefan Radke. The Kiem lab’s research focuses on stem cell biology, and stem cell gene transfer to treat patients with genetic and acquired diseases.
Abbi is currently a junior in BioE and works as a student researcher in Dr. David Mack’s lab. Dr. Mack, who is Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and member of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, uses stem cells and gene therapy to treat neuromuscular diseases.
Outside of her research work, Abbi is passionate about educational outreach. She is Educational Outreach Chair for UW’s chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and plans events to engage students in science and engineering.