Postdoctoral Training Program in Cancer Epidemiology

描述(申请人提供)：在过去的十年里，分子生物学和遗传学的深刻发展改变了癌症流行病学和预防领域的重要性，并使其重要性得到放大。因此，我们必须培养能够在现在和未来盛行的复杂、多学科环境中发挥作用的癌症预防研究人员。NCI计划公告PAR-00-064解决了增加能够领导将实验室、行为和人口科学联系起来的研究的调查人员数量的需要。 西北大学预防医学部和罗伯特·H·鲁里综合癌症中心为结合授课和经验方法的高级培训提供了广泛的、整合良好的背景。拟议的培训计划将利用我们机构现有的优势和资源，包括积极的K30和K12计划，NIH资助的临床研究科学硕士(MSCI)奖，NCI资助的乳腺癌培训计划，综合研究生计划的癌症生物学轨道，早期检测研究网络的卵巢癌协调中心，以及乳腺癌和前列腺癌的孢子计划。西北大学的癌症预防计划包括23名研究人员和每年超过1000万美元的外部资金，专门用于化学预防、流行病学、行为科学和早期检测方法学的研究。 拟议的奖励将允许我们为研究员提供津贴/研究支持，并开发核心和跟踪课程，以培训来自以下四种背景之一的新独立调查人员：1.流行病学博士，2.生物科学博士，3.医学博士，4.行为科学博士。该计划每年将招收2名新研究员，课程为2-3年。学员将被要求参加(或通过批准)以下课程：初级和中级流行病学和生物统计学、研究伦理、生物医学写作、分子医学和肿瘤细胞生物学。 此外，研究员将被要求参加一门新的癌症流行病学课程，并在该奖项下开发三个半程课程中的一个：癌症筛查、行为和癌症风险以及化学预防。有意愿的研究员可能有资格获得MSCI学位。学员将被要求完成一个多年的癌症预防研究项目，在初级导师的监督下，初级导师将在接受该计划后立即与研究员匹配。为了确保更广泛的研究经验和接触到多名导师，每个研究员将选择一名二级导师，该导师将在他们的研究团队中为研究员提供纵向角色。研究员将被要求在完成计划之前撰写并口头提交NIH拨款申请，并在癌症中心的方案审查小组中服务6个月。 该计划的领导将由PI和其他3个核心学院组成，他们将指导流行病学/生物标记物、化学预防、早期检测/筛查和行为科学等核心领域的课程开发。咨询委员会将由指导西北大学关键教学或研究资源的资深教职员工组成，将定期监督每个研究员的计划和进展，以及对该项目的总体监督。该方案的最终成功将取决于研究人员今后在学术/研究背景下对该领域的贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The field of cancer epidemiology and prevention has been both transformed and magnified in importance by the profound developments in molecular biology and genetics over the past decade. As a result, it is imperative that we train cancer prevention researchers who can function productively in the complex, multidisciplinary environment that prevails now and in the future. The NCI program announcement PAR-00-064 addresses the need to increase the number of investigators capable of leading research that links laboratory, behavioral and population science. The Department of Preventive Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern provide an extensive, well-integrated context for advanced training that combines didactic and experiential approaches. The proposed training program will draw upon existing strengths and resources at our institution, including active K30 and K12 programs, an NIH-funded Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) award, an NCI-funded Breast Cancer Training Program, the Cancer Biology track of the Integrated Graduate Program, the Ovarian Cancer coordinating center for the Early Detection Research Network, and SPORE Programs in both breast and prostate cancer. The Cancer Prevention Program at Northwestern includes 23 investigators and over $10 million per year in extramural funding devoted to research in chemoprevention, epidemiology, behavioral science and early detection methodology. The proposed award will allow us to provide fellows with stipend/research support and to develop both core and trackspecific curricula for training new independent investigators who come to the program from one of four backgrounds: 1. PhD in epidemiology, 2. PhD in biological science, 3. MD, 4. PhD in behavioral sciences. The program will enroll 2 new fellows per year in a 2-3 year curriculum. Trainees will be required to take (or pass via approval) courses in: introductory and intermediate epidemiology and biostatistics, research ethics, biomedical writing, molecular medicine and tumor cell biology. In addition, fellows will be required to take a new course in cancer epidemiology and 1 of 3 half-courses also to be developed under this award: cancer screening, behavior and cancer risk, and chemoprevention. Fellows who wish may qualify to receive the MSCI degree. Trainees will be required to complete a multi-year cancer prevention research project, under the supervision of a primary mentor, who will be matched with the fellow immediately after acceptance to the Program. To ensure a wider breadth of research experience and exposure to multiple mentors, each fellow will select a secondary mentor who will provide a longitudinal role for the fellow in their research team. Fellows will be required to write and orally present an NIH grant application before completing the program, and to serve for 6 months on protocol review panels within the Cancer Center. The Program Leadership will consist of the PI and 3 other Core Faculty who will direct curriculum development in the core areas of epidemiology/biomarkers, chemoprevention, early detection/screening and behavioral science. The Advisory Committee, which will consist of senior faculty who direct critical teaching or research resources at Northwestern, will provide regular monitoring of the plans and progress of each fellow, as well as general oversight of the Program. The ultimate success of the Program will be determined by the future contributions of the Fellows to the field in the academic/research setting.