Developmental Program

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Section 4: Developmental Selection and Oversight Process A. OVERVIEW CECCR1 funded 13 extremely productive and successful Developmental Projects (see Section 1, Center Overview). The Developmental Projects have attracted a diverse set of investigators, which has enriched our productivity and interdisciplinary collaborations. Knowledge gained from the Developmental Projects led to improvements in overall intervention design and delivery among the Research Projects and inspired certain features of the proposed Center. The promising work of a Developmental Project using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), for example, prompted us to include the Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Core in the proposed Center. The Developmental Project mechanism has also enabled us to train a larger number,of young investigators, pilot test promising and innovative intervention ideas, expand the scope of our CECCR1 research to include a broader spectrum of cancer-related issues, and secure additional extramural funding to further investigate some of the Developmental Projects' findings. The proposed CECCR2 will continue its investment in this valuable mechanism by supporting preliminary research projects that show potential for yielding important, new knowledge. A total of $150,000 is set aside in each year of the Center to support Developmental Projects, with support lasting for one or two years each. One half of this funding ($75,000/year; $375,000 total) is being cost-shared by the Office of the Vice President for Research as part of an overall $1.125 million commitment by the University of Michigan to this proposal. An important recent development is the funding of the University of Michigan's new $55 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). Co-funding of Developmental Projects and support for clinical faculty interested in cancer communications has already been agreed upon by Dr. Daniel Clauw, Director of the CTSA. This co-funding would double the funding of any Developmental Project that has a clinical emphasis and is approved by the CTSA Pilot Study Committee. Careful attention is paid to the timing of Developmental Projects. Our intention is to develop methodological knowledge relevant to enhancing intervention delivery and data collection in the CECCR2 Research Projects. Two Developmental Project summaries are included with this application to demonstrate the potential to ' advance the objectives of the Center's Research Projects: Tailored Intervention for Parents of Adolescent Brain Cancer Survivors by James G. Gurney, PhD and Web-Based Support of the Cancer Patient in Transition by Jennifer J. Griggs, MD, MPH (see D.1. and D.2.). Each of these 2-year Projects focus on issues related to cancer survivors and therefore expands the Center's research to span the entire cancer continuum. Successes in early detection and treatment of cancers make research in survivorship increasingly critical. These Projects have great potential to advance the field and to inform the individual Research Projects and the overall Center.