Training Program for Quantitative Population Sciences in Cancer

描述(由申请人提供)：现代生物医学研究依赖于多学科和跨学科的方法来促进我们对日益严重的公共卫生重要性的复杂和多方面疾病的理解，如癌症。新兴技术使人口科学家能够以前所未有的规模产生数据(即通过全基因组阵列扫描)。因此，迫切需要的不仅是培训下一代 传统学科的一代科学家参与了人类恶性肿瘤的研究，但在互补学科中对他们进行交叉培训，使他们能够将他们的科学发现公之于众。因此，我们建议继续一个非常成功的博士后项目，将生物信息学、生物统计学和流行病学领域的专业研究知识和方法结合起来。这项名为“癌症定量人口科学培训计划”的新计划将是对盖泽尔医学院癌症研究和教育现有资源的补充，并将与诺里斯棉花癌症中心(NCCC)的使命保持一致，诺里斯棉花癌症中心是NCI指定的综合性癌症中心，隶属于达特茅斯的盖泽尔医学院和达特茅斯希区柯克医学中心(DHMC)。培训工作将继续由在遗传学、社区和家庭医学系、生物统计科和流行病学科的生物信息学、生物统计学和流行病学领域具有补充专门知识的资深调查人员领导。我们将利用达特茅斯在这些学科扩大的教师队伍，他们可以提供专家指导，以及不断扩大的研究和中心拨款组合，可以提供丰富的人口科学数据、生物样本和核心研究设施。为了实现我们的目标，我们建议在一段时间内对6名博士后学员进行流行病学、生物信息学或生物统计学方面的交叉培训。 2至3年。学员将与来自两个重点学科的一名初级和二级导师配对，并在该计划的第一年完成跨学科课程。在该计划的第二年和第三年，受训人员将专注于指导研究活动的开展，准备模拟的NIH拨款申请，并参与准备专业手稿以及在研讨会和科学会议上的陈述。在咨询委员会的咨询下，项目负责人将挑选受训人员，监督他们的进展，并提供建议，以确保提供必要的教学和研究经验，为人口科学中跨学科癌症研究的未来培养高度知识的研究人员。培训计划的最终目标是通过提高现有的癌症研究人员所需的技能来加速癌症研究，以满足人口科学中转化型癌症研究的当前和未来需求。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Modern biomedical research relies on both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to advance our understanding of complex and multifaceted illnesses of growing public health significance such as cancer. Emerging technologies enable population scientists to generate data on a scale never before imaginable (i.e., through whole genome array scans). Thus, there is a critical need to not only train the next generation of scientists in the classic disciplines involved in studies of human malignancies, but to cross-train them in complementary disciplines to allow them to bring their scientific discoveries to light. Therefore, we propose to continue a highly successful postdoctoral program that combines specialized research knowledge and methodologies in the fields of bioinformatics, biostatistics and epidemiology. This novel program, entitled "Training Program for Quantitative Population Sciences in Cancer," will be structured to complement the existing resources for cancer research and education at the Geisel School of Medicine and will be aligned with the mission of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC), an NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center affiliated with the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). The training efforts will continue to be led by established investigators with complementary expertise in the fields of bioinformatics, biostatistics and epidemiology within the Departments of Genetics and Community and Family Medicine, Section of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. We will capitalize on Dartmouth's expanded faculty in these disciplines who can offer expert mentorship, and an enlarging portfolio of research and center grants that can supply access to a wealth of population science data, biologic samples and core research facilities. To accomplish our objectives, we propose to cross-train six postdoctoral trainees in epidemiology, bioinformatics or biostatistics for a period of 2 to 3 years. Trainees will be paired with a primary and secondary mentor from two of the focus disciplines and complete cross-disciplinary coursework in the first year of the program. In years two and three of the program, trainees will concentrate on the conduct of mentored research activities, prepare a mock NIH grant application, and participate in the preparation of professional manuscripts and presentations at symposia and scientific conferences. Program leaders, with consultation of an Advisory Committee, will select trainees, monitor their progress and provide recommendations to ensure that the necessary didactic and research experiences are provided to produce highly knowledgeable investigators for the future of interdisciplinary cancer research in the population sciences. The ultimate goal of the training program is to accelerate cancer research by enhancing the existing pool of cancer researchers with the skills needed to meet the present and future needs in translational cancer research in the population sciences.