Through a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Cancer Institute, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center recently expanded its successful Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program to include high school students from Appalachian Kentucky counties.

The ACTION Program offers Appalachian Kentucky high school students the opportunity to gain cancer research, clinical, outreach and educational experiences that will enrich their interest in pursuing a future cancer-focused career. 

After reviewing more than 90 applications for the program, a Markey committee has selected the following 20 high school students to enroll in the program for the 2019 class. These students will participate in the program for a total of two years beginning with a five-week summer residential program on UK’s campus starting Sunday, June 9, 2019. 

Bath County

• Shahid Jabbar, Bath County High School  

Carter County

• Nolan Marcum, East Carter High School
• Solomon Patton, West Carter High School
• Brianna Reyes, East Carter High School
• Ethan Tiller, East Carter High School  

Clay County

• Rachel Collins, Clay County High School  

Elliott County

• Natalie Barker, Elliott County High School
• Kinley Lewis, Elliott County High School

Garrard County

• Abigail Isaacs, Garrard County High School  

Laurel County

• Kaitlin Schumaker, North Laurel High School  

Letcher County

• William Adams, Letcher County High School
• Zachary Hall, Letcher County High School
• Julie Kiser, Letcher County High School

Pulaski County

• Megan Schlosser, Pulaski County High School

Rowan County

• Andrew Davison, Rowan County High School
• Holly Dickens, Rowan County High School

Russell County

• Alyviah Newby, Russell County High School

Whitley County

• Katelyn Nigro, Whitley County High School
• Spencer Shelton, Whitley County High School

“We are beyond excited to begin working with our inaugural cohort of ACTION high school students,” said Nathan Vanderford, director of the ACTION Program and assistant professor in the UK College of Medicine.

“In reviewing applications, what stands out to me is how intelligent these students are and how excited they are to have an opportunity to engage in our program. Importantly, it is interesting to see how aware the students are about how dramatically they are impacted by cancer and other disparities that are so great in the Appalachian Kentucky region. We are ready to provide a life-changing experience to these students that will have a lifelong impact on the students, their families, and their communities.”