Career Enhancement Core

癌症预防和控制领域已经发展起来，然而，在服务不足的社区中致力于与持续贫困作斗争的癌症预防的训练有素和经验丰富的研究人员骨干，特别是那些接受多学科合作培训的研究人员，仍然太少，无法充分推动癌症预防和控制领域的最新进展。我们的总体目标是在美国培养早期职业研究人员，使他们能够有目的地领导癌症预防和控制/人口科学多个方面的关键研究工作。这种培训对于在缺乏服务的环境中研究和实施健康计划和实践的成功至关重要，但在癌症研究培训中往往没有得到强调，在广泛的癌症预防和控制计划中也没有足够的细节。在这样的职业道路上取得长期成功还需要职业导航、适应能力和职业毅力方面的技能，这些技能可以通过正式培训、指定导师的指导和榜样来培养，这些技能将成为职业提升核心（CEC）的一部分，并贯穿于拟议的“社区驱动的变革研究中心”，以预防肥胖相关的癌症。职业提升核心（CEC）的具体目标是：(1)招募、选择和培训表现优异的早期职业科学家，在服务水平低下的社区，特别是持续贫困地区，从事癌症预防研究；(2)提供多种癌症预防学科的指导研究培训经验；(3)开发多学科癌症课程，重点是持续贫困的驱动因素及其影响，社区环境中使用的研究方法，以及该领域专业人员的职业发展；(4)评估项目的有效性，并长期跟踪受训人员。CEC充分利用了其与两个研究项目（Brighter Bites、Active Living After Cancer）和其他核心项目（包括BeWell基础设施资助的活动）的整合优势。对于两名地区招募的博士生和两名国家招募的博士后（一名由U54奖支持，另一名由承诺的机构基金支持的博士后），为期三年的任命，参与核心服务于将学员与社区组织内的体验式学习机会联系起来，帮助他们学习如何培养与社区组织的关系。中心的一个新颖之处在于，它设立了一个新的社区行动讲习班系列，以促进社区研究，并设立了一个新的赠款讲习班，供学员和社区组织工作人员共同培训，以促进协同和合作。赠款培训将围绕由发展核心发起的RFAs进行组织和安排，他们将为此提供帮助。研究和方法论核心的领导也将为新的资助项目工作坊提供指导，并为实习生项目数据收集和分析提供指导和支持。学员将围绕中心的两个研究项目（BB和ALAC）建立自己的指导研究项目。

The field of cancer prevention and control has grown, however, the cadre of trained and experienced researchers dedicated to cancer prevention in underserved communities grappling with persistent poverty, particularly those trained for multidisciplinary collaboration, remains too small to sufficiently advance the state of the art in cancer prevention and control. Our overall goal is to train early career investigators in the US to join a cadre of scholars who are able and purposefully lead key research efforts in multiple aspects of cancer prevention and control/population science. Such training is critical for success in research and implementation of health programs and practices in underserved settings and are not often emphasized in cancer research training or with sufficient detail in broad programs of cancer prevention and control. Long-term success in such career paths also requires skills in career navigation, resilience, and career persistence that can be fostered through formal training, mentorship by assigned mentors, and role models that will be part of the Career Enhancement Core (CEC) and throughout the proposed Center for Transformative Community Driven Research to Prevent Obesity-related Cancer. The specific aims of the Career Enhancement Core (CEC) are to (1) recruit, select, and train high-performing early career scientists for careers leading cancer prevention research in underserved communities, specifically in persistent poverty areas; (2) provide mentored research training experiences in a variety of cancer prevention disciplines; (3) develop a multidisciplinary cancer curriculum with emphasis on drivers of persistent poverty and its impact, research methods used in community settings, and career development for professionals in the field; and (4) evaluate the Program’s effectiveness and track trainees over time. The CEC takes advantage of its integration with the two Research Projects (Brighter Bites; Active Living After Cancer) and the other Cores, including activities funded by the BeWell infrastructure. For two regionally recruited doctoral students and two nationally recruited postdoctoral fellows (one supported by the U54 award, an additional postdoctoral fellow supported by pledged institutional funds), in 3-year appointments, the Engagement Core serves to connect trainees with opportunities for experiential learning embedded within community organizations, helping them learn how to foster relationships with them. A novel aspect of the CEC is its creation of a new Community Action Workshop series to foster conducting community research and a new Grantsmanship Workshop for trainees and community organization staff to train together for synergy and fostering collaborations. The grant training will be structured and scheduled around RFAs launched by the Development Core, for which they will help teach. Leaders of the Research and Methodology Core will also provide support for instruction for the new grantsmanship workshop, as well as providing guidance and support for trainee project data collection and analysis. Trainees will build their mentored research projects around the two research projects of the center (BB and ALAC).