Training Program in Cancer Population Science (CaPS)

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This application seeks funding for a new Cancer Population Science (CaPS) Postdoctoral Training Program at Georgetown University and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. The overall goal of the CaPS Program is to train future leaders in cancer population science who will translate basic and clinical advances into the clinic, communities and policy. This postdoctoral program provides dual-mentored transdisciplinary training centered around core competencies—integrating novel technologies and methods, applying multilevel approaches, using knowledge integration to inform policies and care, and addressing health disparities—using a team science approach and integrating cancer biology and domain-specific expertise. The 21 Primary Faculty lead active research programs supported by substantial peer-reviewed funds, with extensive mentoring experience at the postdoctoral level that apply these core competencies. The faculty represent nine departments/institutes across Georgetown University, underscoring the emphasis on translational cancer population science. Aims are to: 1) leverage our successful infrastructure to recruit and retain a diverse group of promising population scientists; 2) implement complementary co-mentorship and individualized development plans that cut across at least two phases of the translational continuum, with formal and informal didactics to facilitate the acquisition of core competencies to transition successfully to the next career stage; and 3) evaluate training efforts at the trainee and program level to ensure a sustainable cancer population science training program in the Nation’s capital. We are motivated to create this new program by unprecedented growth in our understanding of molecular events in cancer development and progression and the multilevel influences of the host and environment on these processes. This new and growing knowledge base has evolved against the backdrop of an increasingly diverse US population, disparities in cancer risk and receipt of evidence-based screening and treatment, societal aging patterns, and evolving models of healthcare delivery. Moving the field of cancer population science forward will require enhancing our ability to translate basic and clinical advances into populations, communities and policy. The next generation of scientists must be trained to meet this challenge with specific expertise to embark on translational research.