UC Davis Paul Calabresi K12 Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY The overarching goal of the UC Davis Paul Calabresi K12 Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program (CDP) is to nurture clinician or basic/translational junior faculty to become independent, patient- oriented cancer researchers who are highly trained in translational, team-driven research. Using 1) core competencies, 2) advanced oncology coursework, 3) career development, 4) mentored research, and 5) cross- discipline exposure, the CDP provides two new scholars per year (six at any one time) a three-year career development program aimed at honing ideas and skills that go far beyond their initial disciplinary boundaries. Scholars will overcome language and cultural barriers that typically exist between clinical and basic/translational researchers, take advantage of the collaborative research environment at UC Davis, participate in multidisciplinary and translational forums, and gather essential skills in research design, clinical trial development, team science, grant writing, ethical conduct of research, communication, and career development. The vision is to enhance translational research by training physician-scientists to incorporate and utilize basic/correlative science in their pursuit of clinical trials ("Clinical Track"), and conversely, driving basic scientists towards patient-driven drug development and clinical research ("Basic/Translational Track"). To maintain the emphasis on patient-driven clinical research, CDP scholars, under the mentorship of both a clinical mentor and basic/translational mentor, will be required to develop and initiate/conduct their own investigator-initiated clinical trial during the training period. The program will leverage the outstanding research, training, and evaluation expertise and infrastructure of the NCI-designated UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, NCATS-funded Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTSC), and School of Medicine Career Development Program. It will be overseen and enhanced by a highly organized internal Oversight Committee and external Advisory Board. Overall, the CDP seeks to accomplish the following specific aims: 1) Offer a competency-based didactic curriculum to promote team science, encourage translational research, and hone essential skills for clinical trial development and career/research success; 2) Oversee individualized patient- oriented research projects customized to the interests and needs of each scholar; and 3) Provide oversight of scholar training to ensure the progressive development of fully competent interdisciplinary researchers who can successfully conduct cancer clinical trials. These specific aims will build a critical mass of trained scientists at the forefront of innovative, impactful, evidence-based research, who can oversee projects encompassing the entire continuum of research from basic science (target identification and drug discovery) through translational science (drug development and correlative science) to clinical investigation. By doing so, we offer the potential of enhancing the success of clinician scientists and improving outcomes for cancer patients.