Director's Message | Winter 2022-2023

I consider so much of what we do at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center to be investments in the future. We dedicate philanthropic resources to support the early careers of junior faculty members, betting that their future discoveries will advance our understanding of stem cell biology and promote stem cell therapeutics. We invest our time in the teaching and training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, betting on their future careers in biomedical research and related fields. But what better bet could there be than an investment in the potential of UCLA undergraduates? Apparently, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine agrees, as the agency recently awarded our center a Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, or COMPASS, grant to support undergraduate research.

Specifically, the objective of the COMPASS program is “to prepare a diverse cadre of undergraduate students for careers in regenerative medicine through combining hands-on research opportunities with strategic and structured mentorship experiences.” Among the many ways in which this program contributes to our educational mission are the provision of both tuition and stipend support for participating undergraduates, the inclusion of a structured mentorship program, and the employment of strategies to address “disparities in representation of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, first generation college students and/or other underserved populations through increased outreach and other targeted approaches.”

Speaking from experience, I can attest to the potentially transformative impact of such an undergraduate research experience. I had the good fortune of working in a research laboratory at Harvard Medical School beginning as a sophomore in college, and I can say without hesitation that few experiences have had such a profound and lasting impact on my career path. I was exposed to both the challenges and rewards of basic scientific research, and I loved every minute of it. I continued to work in that laboratory through graduation from college and matriculation at medical school, presenting my findings at my first scientific conference and publishing my first scientific paper in the process. These “firsts” are milestones in a young scientist’s career. These are exactly the kinds of life-changing experiences that we strive to provide to undergraduate students at UCLA, experiences that will open doors for them to pursue graduate or professional school or explore opportunities in the private sector. Experience has shown that investing in UCLA undergraduates has proven to pay off in spades time and again, and we are excited that the COMPASS program will enable us to continue making these investments.

Thomas Rando, MD, PhD
Director, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center
Professor of Neurology and Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology