Pediatric Oncology Research Training Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal from the Texas Children's Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine seeks to establish a novel, three-year Pediatric Oncology Research Training (PORT) Program for outstanding pediatric hematology-oncology fellows who have chosen to pursue a laboratory-based pediatric cancer research career. The rationale for developing this program is based on the premise that standard Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship programs do not provide an adequate laboratory research training experience for trainees interested in becoming laboratory-based physician-scientists. The PORT program has been specifically designed to address this issue by providing its highly selected trainees with a focused mentored research and didactic program that will ultimately enable them to become successful, independently funded, laboratory investigators. The program utilizes the significant strengths and resources of the Texas Children's Cancer Center (TCCC), Texas Children's Hospital (TCH), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), the BCM Cancer Center (BCMCC), the Department of Pediatrics, and the 5 Departments of the 24 participating mentors. The PORT program will provide the up to 6 postdoctoral trainees (two per year) the opportunity to choose a laboratory research experience in either basic research or translational research. The proposed training program has several unique features. First, trainees enter the program following a comprehensive year of clinical training where, because of the size and breadth of the program, they have had in-depth exposure to the major clinical and scientific challenges in the field. This provides them with a strong basis from which to choose their particular field of research and their specific mentor. Second, the program is comprised of a superb group of research mentors with vast teaching and training experience and a sincere commitment to training young physician scientists. Third, the proposed program is a highly structured one that has many elements similar to those characteristic of PhD graduate training programs including a structured didactic program with graduate level courses, seminars, and conferences and an individual Scholarship Oversight Committee that monitors the progress of each trainee. Fourth, trainees participate in research retreats and national conferences and workshops and attend a novel leadership-training seminar designed to provide them with the skills needed to become leaders in the field.