M.D. Anderson Education Program in Cancer Prevention

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The proposed renewal ofthe Education Program in Cancer Prevention will continue to support eight postdoctoral and eight predoctoral (post-Master's) trainee positions. This Programhas successfully trained more than 80 new investigators and has been continuously funded (R25CAsyyso) for 14years. Trainees are recruited from the basic biomedical sciences, biomedical statistics, epidemiology, genetics, behavioral and social sciences, nursing, medicine, and related public health disciplines. Recruitment ofwomen (60%) and minority trainees (27%)has been highly successful. Trainees are selected in a 2-level reviewprocess based on the merit oftheir proposed educational objectives and mentored research projects. Applicant proposals, created in a Koy-like format, are reviewed by both our AdvisoryCommitteeand a panel of external reviewers in the field of cancer prevention. These proposals describe a tailored .educationalplan includingcoursework, a timeline, research project, and educational objectives. Each plan is based on hands-on experience in ongoing peer-reviewed cancer prevention research projects under the mentorship of at least two established investigators from different disciplines. The success of this program has stimulated the faculty's enthusiasm for mentoring trainees, with 65 faculty having mentored or co-mentored our trainees. Trainees participate in a multidisciplinary curriculum that includes a core curriculumin cancer biology, cancer prevention, public health, and the behavioral sciences, plus special workshops in professional skills such as grant writing and public speaking. Postdoctoral fellows are required to prepare and submit grant applications during their training. Trainees have access to many resources at M. D.Anderson in its existing patient and research databases and access to large populations for prevention intervention studies; other resources available to trainees through their faculty mentors include extensive laboratory and clinical facilities. Thisprogram continues to attract promisingtrainees to careers in cancer prevention, to mentor their research, and to launch their careers with a cancer prevention research focus. Starting in 1992 with 4 trainee positions, the program has gradually increased its capacityto the present level of 16positions. During this same period, the size of the faculty and funded research in cancer prevention has grown more than eight-fold, providing a significant training resource.