UNC Oncology Clinical/Translational Research Training Program (OCT-RTP)

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Abstract In this competing renewal, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Divisions of Adult and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the Department of Radiation Oncology and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNC LCCC) seek renewed funding for the UNC Calabresi K12, called the Oncology Clinical/Translational Research Training Program (OCT- RTP). All of the components will contribute mentors and resources to the training program, and all components except the LCCC will contribute scholars. The OCT-RTP will admit two scholars per year. The PI, Dr. Norman Sharpless, is the Wellcome Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research and Director of the LCCC. Dr. Sharpless has extensive experience in oncologic translational research. Dr. Hanna Sanoff, Associate Professor of Medicine and Section Chief of GI Medical Oncology, is an experienced mentor who assumed the role of Program Director (PD) in 2016. The program's objectives are to establish a rigorously trained cadre of researchers who will become successful, independent cancer investigators. Training resources available for the OCT-RTP include: the LCCC, the North Carolina Cancer Hospital and the UNC Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) which supports an Education, Training, and Career Development Core. The goals of the OCT-RTP are to increase the quality and quantity of patient- oriented cancer research. The foundation of the proposed training program will be the participation of highly qualified basic science and clinical mentors assigned to each scholar with mentoring activities coordinated by the K12 leadership. An internal advisory committee (IAC) that includes senior faculty from the program components will select and monitor scholar progress, while an external advisory committee reviews the program annually. Since its inception, the OCT- RTP has enrolled sixteen Scholars, including 10 funded in the last grant cycle whose records are detailed in the progress report. Major changes since our last renewal include a new PD (Dr. Sanoff), changes in the composition of the IAC, greater integration with other UNC training programs, and changes in the mentorship roster. In particular, the mentor roster has been pruned from 40 to 34 mentors to enhance research focus, with the addition of new mentors adding a greater diversity of now-relevant expertise, including notable additions in patient-reported outcomes, data analytics and novel clinical trial design. Facilities and resources for the program have evolved to provide even stronger support, including the leveraging of considerable state support from the University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF). We believe these changes and growth have strengthened a successful and important training program.