A $1 million gift by Debra Cohen will continue support for researcHStart, a multi-institutional cancer research pathway program for Illinois high school students, for the next five years. Cohen and her late husband, Ira R. Cohen, have been the primary funders of researcHStart since its launch in 2015. Through their vision and generosity, 257 talented young people have already benefitted from immersive research and career exploration in cancer. Cohen’s new gift secures opportunities for hundreds more.
“We are deeply grateful for Mrs. Cohen’s support of this important program,” said Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC), the AbbVie Foundation Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Dean for Oncology in the University’s Biological Sciences Division. “Programs like researcHStart are essential for achieving the Cancer Center’s mission to inspire and empower the next generation of researchers and clinicians—they ensure our legacy of scientific progress and groundbreaking therapies in cancer.”
The researcHStart program was initiated by Ira and Debra with the UCCCC, who leads collaborations with partner sites at the University of Illinois Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, and Rush University.
Through the program, high school students work full-time in the laboratories of established cancer researchers across the five sites, gaining hands-on experience in areas at the forefront of the field: cancer immunology, bioengineering, experimental cancer therapeutics, cancer disparities, and more.
Rigorous research training is complemented by career development and skill-building workshops, a cancer-based faculty lecture series, and all-site team-building activities including a culminating cancer research symposium. Throughout the program, researcHStart trainees are supported by a network of faculty and peer mentors dedicated to their success.
“We are deeply grateful to partner with Debra in supporting this transformative program, which immerses students in cutting-edge cancer research and ignites their passion for science,” said M. Eileen Dolan, PhD, researcHStart co-founder and UCCCC Deputy Director. “Exploring careers early is important for students when making college-related decisions. The gift builds capacity, impacting the future of medicine and cancer care.”
For the Cohens, researcHStart is a program they have felt very strongly about, especially as it has provided high school students an opportunity to immerse in cancer research labs. "For the program, which started as a pilot, to succeed and continue, is such a win," Debra said. “It's wonderful to see these high school students participate in the program, and ultimately continue on with careers in the biomedical, research and patient care fields.”
On August 8, 2025, the UCCCC celebrated 10 years of researcHStart at the program’s annual research symposium. Festivities included an alumni panel and presentation of the inaugural Ira R. Cohen Alum Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of a researcHStart alum regarding science, service, and perseverance in the field of biomedicine. The awardee, Justin Banks, is a 2019 graduate of researcHStart and current second-year med student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
“The researcHStart program was a pivotal part of my career journey, preparing me with research skills that I will carry throughout the rest of my life and leading to my first publication, which was a highlight of my medical school interviews several years later,” Banks said. “I had the privilege of early exposure to the institution I would ultimately attend for college and, most importantly, I became empowered to tackle real-world problems through scientific discovery.”
Like Banks, nearly 70% of researcHStart alumni remain committed to careers in biomedicine, including cancer research and care. The 2026 cohort will begin their training on June 15.
