Our medical students participate in the following types of cancer-focused events:

• Bronx Oncology Living Daily (BOLD) internships and programs
• Community service and outreach activities
• Internships
• One-time events
• Ongoing programs
• Research projects

In addition to cancer survivors and family volunteers, 20 pre-med BOLD interns from diverse cultural backgrounds representing the Bronx participate in all aspects of BOLD activities. Most of these students are also financially disadvantaged, second-generation Americans.

BOLD student interns gain first-hand experience by contributing to cancer outreach strategies such as our Multicultural Task Forces and cancer patient-facing programs. Students have opportunities to conduct behavioral research related to their BOLD experience and to participate in a poster session to present their findings.

To attract and support students, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center has cultivated active relationships with local universities, including Hunter, Fordham and Columbia, which each host a BOLD student interest club. Students apply for the BOLD internship through their schools.

Through the BOLD program, cancer patients and family members continued to have access to free psychosocial services and peer support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which included:

• Counseling
• Creative arts
• Fitness and nutrition
• Peer support programs for patients and their children
• Smoking cessation
• Support groups
• Yoga and meditation

Although the COVID-19 pandemic was an extremely challenging period, BOLD was still able to provide support by transitioning all of the programs to an online format. Before COVID-19, most BOLD participants did not routinely go online or participate in Zoom calls, but with technical assistance provided by the BOLD pre-med student interns, our online transition was seamless.