SFSU CIRM COMPASS IPSCS Program: Inclusive Pathways for Stem Cell Undergraduate Scholars Training Program
Prepare a diverse cadre of undergraduate students for careers in regenerative medicine by combining hands-on research opportunities with strategic and structured mentorship.
- An undergraduate training program provides a solid foundation to prepare a well-trained life science workforce in regenerative medicine.
- It grants two-year training scholarships to 25 IPSCS trainees (total 25 scholars will be funded over the course of the five-year funding period) and provides them the resources (monthly stipends, tuitions, conference travel, research training and mentorship support etc.) to build the foundation for implementing innovative and comprehensive training to address current and rising workforce needs in emerging stem cell fields.
- The program, through comprehensive mentorship and program activities, will increase undergraduate trainees who elect to pursue various careers in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
Program Overview
- Academic mentoring and inquiry-based research training
- Hands-on stem cell summer internship research (SFSU or UCSF/Stanford)
- Two years of scholarship support (stipends $18,000/year, tuitions $9,600/year, $2,200/year research funds and $1,000/year trainee conference travel)
- Career mentoring and professional development coaching
The program supports Biology undergraduate sophomores or juniors who have taken BIOL 230 and BIOL 240 and are interested in alternative career pathways in regenerative medicine (including graduate program, medical/allied health or other professions).
The program focuses on developing inclusive curricula and the introduction of interdisciplinary career pathways by integrating principles of molecular biology, cell and developmental biology, with supplemental training in leadership, communications, entrepreneurship and ethical conduct of the scientific and professional workforce.
Contact
Program Director: Professor Lily Chen (lilychen@sfsu.edu)
Program Advisor: Odessa Yabut, Ph.D. (oyabut@sfsu.edu)
Application Dates
- Opens: March 1, 2025
- Closes: April 15, 2025
Scholarship Application
CIRM COMPASS-IPSCS Cohorts
2026-2028 CIRM COMPASS-IPSCS Cohort
Katie Guzman-Pacheco (Nick Silva Lab-SFSU)
Esmeralda Ramirez (Blake Rigg Lab-SFSU)
Sergio Botero Zuluaga (Joseph Chen Lab-SFSU)
Jacob Stachelek
Mohamed Ibrahim
Lucia Geisser
Kiana Lau
Charlie Gates
Matthew Rosales
Almira Ilagan
2025-2027 CIRM COMPASS-IPSCS Cohort
Kealohilani Kiku Kyle (Elizabeth Crouch Lab-UCSF)
Marius Mathew Fajardo Suarez (Sam Pleasure Lab-UCSF)
Nathalie Aquino (Mark Chan Lab-SFSU/MS BMS-SFSU)
Wendy Ko (Sarah Knox Lab-UCSF)
Victor Lopez Palacios (Paola Betancur Lab-UCSF)
Aisha Hawkins (Odessa Yabut/Lily Chen Lab-SFSU)
Jessica Navarro (Bao Tran/Lily Chen Lab-SFSU)
Kosisochukwu Patrick Acholonu (Archana Anand Lab-SFSU)
Kaique Nunes Carlos (Nicholas Silva Lab-SFSU)
Leinad Rivas (Zheng-Hu He Lab-SFSU)
2024-2026 CIRM COMPASS-IPSCS Cohort
Kealohilani Kiku Kyle (Elizabeth Crouch Lab-UCSF)
Marius Mathew Fajardo Suarez (Sam Pleasure Lab-UCSF)
Andre Tran (MS BMS-SFSU/Sasha Gupta Lab-UCSF)
Angelo Orozco (MS BMS-CIRM-SFSU/Mark Anderson Lab-UCSF)
Ben Lee (PhD-Stanford)
Nathalie Aquino (Mark Chan Lab-SFSU/MS BMS-SFSU)
Alexander Agredano (Lily Chen Lab-SFSU)
2022-2024 CIRM COMPASS-IPSCS Cohort
Cindy Chu (W. Denetclaw Lab-SFSU)
Elena Dimitrova (K. Plambeck/L. Chen Lab-SFSU)
Ben Lee (K. Burrus Lab-SFSU)
Ben Mingoa (A. Anand Lab-SFSU)
Angelo Orozco (K.Plambeck/L.Chen Lab-SFSU)
