Bridgette L. Jones, MD, MSCR

Marion Merrell Dow Endowed Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology; Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Education Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

Full Biography

Children’s Mercy’s Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR) 2.0 Program received a total of $303,000 from six funding organizations.

Led by Bridgette L. Jones, MD, MSCR, the STAR 2.0 Program helps high school students and faculty receive hands-on experience in clinical and translational research over summer break. During the 6-week program, students are paired with Children’s Mercy investigators to work on a research project that is presented as an oral abstract at the end of the program to Children’s Mercy researchers, staff and family members. Students also are given the opportunity to learn more about different areas of research, tour multiple labs and areas of the hospital and network with other students, researchers and medical professionals.

I will take away many things from this program, but if I could list one thing it would be my ability to network with other healthcare professionals and researchers.

In 2025, STAR 2.0 expanded its reach by welcoming two students to the Children’s Mercy Institutional Review Board in collaboration with Saskia Miller, CIP, Office of Research Integrity. These students were able to participate as board members over the past year and provide their point of view on the safety and ethics of research studies.

Another new aspect of the STAR 2.0 program is the Near Peer Mentors, who are previous STAR 2.0 students, currently completing undergraduate educations. In 2025, the Near Peer Mentors helped lead the STAR 2.0 research groups and worked on their own research projects which were presented at the American Academy of Allergy Asthma Immunology annual meeting and at their undergraduate institutions.

Since its inception in 2021, STAR 2.0 has met projected goals and hosted 73 students and 14 teachers. The program has also awarded 25 students with $2,000 college scholarships and provided support for formal ACT/SAT prep courses for past STAR 2.0 students. Dr. Jones measures success by analyzing engagement and how the program impacts students’ futures. Post-participation 2025 survey indicated that after participating in STAR 2.0, most students were more inclined to pursue a career in medicine and/or science.

“STAR 2.0 gives students an inside perspective of the world of science and medicine. It not only equips students with opportunity today, it plants the seeds for the innovators who will one day transform health outcomes for children in the future,” said Dr. Jones.