Cancer Prevention & Control: Multidisciplinary Training

描述（由申请人提供）：2004年将有超过130万美国人被诊断患有癌症。尽管治疗方法不断改进，生存时间延长，但仍将有50多万美国人死于癌症。癌症占美国所有死亡人数的四分之一。随着婴儿潮一代在未来几十年步入老年，癌症很可能成为美国人死亡的主要原因。由于生活方式和环境影响占癌症负担的很大一部分，人们越来越认识到预防和控制癌症的重要性。行为的改变（例如减少吸烟、增加筛查）被认为是最近癌症发病率温和下降的重要原因。显然，在癌症预防和控制中，需要加大力度解决行为因素。美国国家癌症研究所以及外部专家小组强调了生物、心理、社会和行为因素在癌症预防和控制中的重要性。蓝带报告强调需要在生物心理社会研究方面做出新的努力(即：癌症病因、治疗反应和进展的生物学、心理和社会过程，以及基础行为和社会研究的研究计划，旨在从个人水平（如风险感知）到群体（如家庭影响）和社会（如社会阶层）水平，增加我们对行为改变（如吸烟）机制的理解。这些报告还指出，迫切需要培养一批训练有素的研究科学家，他们具备必要的跨学科技能，以便有效和高效地解决这些复杂的问题。该培训计划的目标是通过一个广泛的、多学科的、为期两年的癌症预防和控制博士后培训计划，以生物行为问题为重点，促进这些研究人员的发展。学员将具有：心理学、公共卫生、医学或相关学科的高级学位，具有研究能力，并表现出对癌症预防和控制研究的坚定承诺。培训计划将包括必修课程，以及由经验丰富的联邦政府资助的癌症预防和控制导师和根据个性化培训计划来自不同学科的联合导师进行研究的直接指导。正式教学训练将包括正式课程作业的专门课程，以及在指导小组和由高级研究人员组成的咨询委员会的指导下，为满足每个受训人员的个别培训目标而需要的额外课程。具体目标为研究生学员提供多学科的癌症预防和控制教育专业课程，包括行为、生物学、医学和社区的观点。具体目标2。通过参与正在进行的联邦资助的涉及培训教员之间多学科合作的研究项目，向研究生学员传授癌症预防和控制的跨学科研究方法。具体目标3。在研究导师的指导下，通过正式指导和撰写研究论文和资助的直接经验，促进学员在癌症预防和控制方面的独立研究事业的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): More than 1.3 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Despite continuing improvements in treatment and prolonged survival, more than half a million Americans will die as a result of cancer. Cancer accounts for one quarter of all deaths in the United States. As the baby boom generation reaches old age in the next several decades, cancer is likely to become the leading cause of death in the United States. Because lifestyle and environmental influences account for a substantial portion of the cancer burden, the importance of efforts in cancer prevention and control is increasingly recognized. Changes in behavior (e.g., reduced smoking, increased screening) are seen to be important contributors to the recent modest decline in cancer rates. Clearly increased efforts to address behavioral factors in cancer prevention and control are warranted. The importance of biopsychosocial and behavioral factors in cancer prevention and control has been highlighted by the National Cancer Institute, as well as outside expert panels. Blue ribbon reports have emphasized the need for new efforts in biopsychosocial research (i.e., the interactions among: biological, psychological, and social processes in cancer etiology, response to treatment, and progression), as well as research initiatives in basic behavioral and social research aimed at increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of behavioral change (e.g., smoking) from the individual level (e.g., risk perception) to the group (e.g., family influences) and society (e.g., social class) levels. These reports also noted the critical need to develop a cadre of highly trained research scientists with the necessary interdisciplinary skills to effectively and efficiently address these complex issues. The goal of the proposed training program is to foster the development of such researchers through a broadly based, multidisciplinary, two year Postdoctoral Training Program in Cancer Prevention and Control, with an emphasis on biobehavioral issues. Trainees will have: an advanced degree in Psychology, Public Health, Medicine, or a related discipline, have demonstrated research abilities, and shown a strong commitment to a career in Cancer Prevention and Control research. The Training Program will include required coursework, as well as direct tutelage in conducting research by an experienced federally funded Mentor in Cancer Prevention and Control and Co-Mentor(s) from different disciplines according to an individualized training plan. Formal didactic training will include a specialized curriculum of formal course work, as well as additional course work as needed to meet the individual training goals of each Trainee, with the guidance of the mentoring team and an Advisory Committee of senior researchers. Specific Aim 1. To provide postgraduate trainees with a multidisciplinary specialized curriculum for education in Cancer Prevention and Control that integrates, behavioral, biological, medical, and community perspectives. Specific Aim 2. To teach postgraduate trainees interdisciplinary research approaches in Cancer Prevention and Control through hands-on participation in ongoing federally-funded research programs involving multidisciplinary collaboration among the training faculty. Specific Aim 3. To foster the development of independent research careers in Cancer Prevention and Control among trainees through both formal instruction and direct experience with writing research papers and grants, with the guidance of their research mentors.