PURPOSE To describe the characteristics of the members of the ASCO-sponsored Oncology Student Interest Groups (OSIGs) in Latin America. METHODS This was a multicenter cross-sectional study. We surveyed 97 OSIG members from three medical schools in Peru and Mexico. We administered a 60-question survey covering topics including personal background, oncology training experience, and professional practice expectations and preferences. RESULTS A little more than one half of the surveyed OSIG members were female. More than one half had a visa to visit the United States and had an advanced level of English. One half of the OSIG members were also ASCO members. Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that participation in their OSIG increased their interest in cancer-related specialties (94%) and provided professional networking opportunities (94%) and that it was accessible to all students (91%). Most participants believed that their OSIG had sufficient resources to carry out its activities. Students were asked to rate their interest when they entered medical school versus at the time of the survey. Most of the members were strongly interested in pursuing surgical oncology. The majority of members were somewhat interested or very interested in palliative care and medical oncology. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first study that provides data on medical student perceptions of the Latin American OSIGs sponsored by ASCO. Student perceptions of medical oncology and the impact of OSIGs were generally positive. Given the shortages of oncology specialists in Latin American and elsewhere, strategies to engage medical students in the pursuit of cancer-related careers are becoming increasingly essential.

PURPOSE In 2015, ASCO established a program designed to support medical interest in cancer-related careers: Oncology Student Interest Groups (OSIGs). The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of current student leaders of ASCO-sponsored OSIGs and their perceptions of cancer-related careers. METHODS We reviewed the list of all ASCO-sponsored OSIGs between 2015 and 2021. For this study, we focused on OSIGs that were sponsored during the 2019-2020 academic year. All student leaders of the 89 OSIGs active in that academic year were invited to participate. RESULTS The number of groups has more than tripled in the 6 years since the program's inception. The number of international groups has increased to become almost one fifth of all OSIGs; however, the range of countries represented remains limited. The majority of OSIG leaders were female. Eighty two percent of OSIGs were returning members, with most of their leaders being registered ASCO student members. Almost all participants reported an interest in pursuing a cancer-related specialty. Only a minority (14.8%) reported having a family member working in a cancer-related career. However, 85% reported having experience with a cancer diagnosis in their family. The majority of the respondents had a favorable perception of medical oncology as a specialty. Participants reported the highest levels of interest in medical oncology and pediatric oncology. CONCLUSION The number of ASCO-sponsored OSIGs has steadily increased since the creation of the program. Most participants reported an interest in pursuing a cancer-related career. To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide insights into the makeup of this program around the world. Additional efforts are needed to increase the global reach of the program, particularly in low-income countries.

11035 Background: In 2017, ASCO established the ASCO medical student and resident Abstract Forum. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of the ASCO medical student and resident abstract forum participants. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study of Abstract Forum participants from 2017 to 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the participants' demographics by gender, stage of training, and institution location. We reported the publication rates and career paths of presenters. Results: The number of participants has more than tripled in the five years since the program's inception. Female participants are almost half of the total. In 2017, there was only one international participant. Over the subsequent five years, international members have steadily increased and represented nearly one-third of all participants in 2021. In the inaugural year, most forum participants were from institutions with ASCO Sponsored Oncology Student Interest Groups (OSIG), but in 2021 almost half were from institutions without OSIGs. The majority of participants were medical students, followed by internal medicine residents. Of a total of 179 abstracts presented between 2017 and 2021, 35 (19.55%) were subsequently published as full-text peer-reviewed manuscripts. Studies presented orally and studies presented by participants from the United States were significantly more frequently published as articles. 58.49% of medical student presenters that started residency chose Internal Medicine or Radiation Oncology. 50% of the student presenters that graduated internal medicine residency went to Hematology-Oncology fellowship. Most of the resident presenters that completed residency went to pursue careers in Hematology-Oncology (72.73%). Conclusions: The steady increase in participants since the program's creation demonstrates interest in the medical student and internal medicine resident community in these types of initiatives. The increase in international participants over the years highlights opportunities for ASCO to expand its global reach and efforts, particularly in low-income countries where trainees have the highest need for mentoring and organized support. Our study provides critical insights into the profile of participants of the Abstract Forum. Participation in this program should be encouraged, especially in countries with high cancer prevalence and mortality.