Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination

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Through experienced leadership, continuous strategic investment, and dedicated infrastructure support, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) has spearheaded cancer-focused educational and professional development activities across the UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) for decades. Inherent to its core mission, SCCC offers an innovative portfolio of career enhancement programming and training activities along a continuum of learners to maximize cancer-focused career success and the advancement of a diverse cancer research workforce. Led by Associate Director Jerry Shay, PhD, and Assistant Director Suzanne Conzen, MD, and supported by a full-time coordinator and two advisory committees, SCCC fuels initiatives across the learner continuum from high school students to undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral trainees, and early-stage investigators. Over the current funding cycle, SCCC members provided education, training, and mentoring to more than 1,300 individuals. The success of SCCC-sponsored education and training activities is evidenced by the high quality basic, clinical, and population science education and training awards funded by peer-reviewing agencies and other foundations – currently 55 awards totaling $6.9M for individual fellowships, career development awards, and institutional training grant programs. Among just the individual National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded awards, the SCCC education and training portfolio includes both individual research fellowships (7 F30s, 11 F31s, 29 F32s, 1 F99/K00) and career development awards (6 K99s, 2 K01, 9 K08s, 1 K22, 2 K24, 1 K25). In addition, SCCC investigators are leaders and/or core mentors for an impressive list of 15 NIH T32s (2 NCI T32s), all with a significant cancer focus, for graduates and postgraduates. Through significant institutional and SCCC-based financial commitments, longstanding early entry programs have also been developed for high school students and teachers, with an emphasis on reaching underrepresented minority students. Going forward, SCCC strives to further promote training in clinical and translational investigations through submission of an NCI K12 Paul Calabresi Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology as well a focus on the development of education and training opportunities for cancer disparities research in collaboration with the University of Texas School of Public Health.