Mentoring the Next Generation of Geriatric Oncology Researchers in Patient-Oriented Research to Improve the Care of Older Adults with Cancer

摘要 我有两个总体的职业目标，这直接符合本提案的目标：1）执行高质量的病人- 在老年肿瘤学的研究，将提供急需的证据，以改善老年人的护理 2）指导下一代老年肿瘤学研究人员进行以患者为导向的研究， 为了确保有一个健康的干部训练有素的老年肿瘤学研究人员准备领导该领域， 未来这一点很重要，因为60岁以上的美国人中有三分之一将在他们的年龄被诊断出患有癌症。 辈子从2010年到2030年，预计65岁以上人群的癌症发病率将上升67%。尽管事实上 老年人占癌症病例的大多数，他们在癌症研究中的代表性严重不足。 此外，很少有医生在老年病学和肿瘤学双重培训，或专注于老年肿瘤学研究。的 这个K24职业中期研究者奖的目标是：1）团结老年医学领域 通过研究老年人对化疗毒性的易感性和干预措施， 结果在老龄化肿瘤学人群和2）指导下一代老年肿瘤学研究人员。 在本申请中提出了三个组件。首先是全面的指导计划 通过教授以病人为导向的研究技能，促进来自不同背景的学员的职业发展 用于老年肿瘤学。这包括制定职业发展计划，使每个学员能够 学习以患者为导向的研究技能，包括制定和执行研究项目; 1：1导师- 学员会议;以及促进学员职业发展的研讨会和课程。第二组分是 开展以患者为导向的研究，重点是改善老年癌症患者的护理。拟议 这项应用研究建立在五项前瞻性多中心研究的基础上，以开发老年评估工具 并确定化疗毒性的预测因子。这些研究作为一个平台， 在计划接受新化疗方案的年龄> 65岁的患者中，以下具体目标：1） 确定老年人临床和生物学结局预测因子（化疗毒性、住院、功能 衰退和生存），并利用这些丰富的数据集作为指导下一代老年人的手段。 肿瘤学研究人员; 2）开发和测试老年评估干预措施，以降低 化疗毒性和了解老年癌症患者的治疗偏好。的第三个组成部分 这个应用程序是我自己的职业发展计划，其中将包括扩大我的研究技能集过渡 从观察到干预再到实施研究，并通过以下方式扩展我的领导技能： 课程和1：1辅导。本申请中提出的研究和培训涉及关键优先事项 由医学研究所、国家老龄化研究所和国家癌症研究所确定， 改善老年癌症患者的护理。

ABSTRACT I have two overall career goals, which directly align with the aims of this proposal: 1) to perform high quality patient- oriented research in geriatric oncology that will provide critically-needed evidence to improve the care of older adults with cancer; and 2) to mentor the next generation of geriatric oncology researchers in patient-oriented research in order to ensure that there is a healthy cadre of well-trained geriatric oncology researchers poised to lead the field in the future. This is important because one in three Americans over the age of 60 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. From 2010 to 2030, cancer incidence is expected to rise 67% for individuals age ≥ 65. Despite the fact that older adults comprise the majority of cancer cases, they are severely underrepresented in cancer research studies. In addition, few physicians are dually trained in geriatrics and oncology, or focus on geriatric oncology research. The goal of this K24 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research is to: 1) unite the fields of geriatrics and oncology by studying geriatric correlates of vulnerability to chemotherapy toxicity and interventions to improve outcomes in an aging oncology population and 2) mentor the next generation of geriatric oncology researchers. There are three components proposed in this application. The first is a comprehensive mentoring program to foster the career development of trainees from diverse backgrounds by teaching patient-oriented research skills for geriatric oncology. This includes the development of a career development plan that will enable each mentee to learn the skills of patient-oriented research, including formulation and execution of a research project; 1:1 mentor- mentee meetings; and seminars and coursework to foster mentees' career development. The second component is to conduct patient-oriented research focused on improving the care of older adults with cancer. The proposed research in this application builds upon five prospective multicenter studies to develop a Geriatric Assessment Tool for oncologists and to identify predictors of chemotherapy toxicity. These studies serve as a platform to perform the following specific aims in patients age > 65 who are scheduled to receive a new chemotherapy regimen: 1) To identify geriatric clinical and biological predictors of outcomes (chemotherapy toxicity, hospitalization, functional decline, and survival) and to utilize these rich datasets as a means of mentoring the next generation of geriatric oncology researchers; and 2) To develop and test a geriatric assessment intervention to decrease the risk of chemotherapy toxicity and to understand treatment preferences in older adults with cancer. The third component of this application is my own career development plan, which will include expanding my research skill set to transition from observational to intervention to implementation research, and expanding my leadership skill set through coursework and 1:1 mentoring. The research and training proposed in this application address key priorities identified by the Institute of Medicine, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Cancer Institute to improve the care of older adults with cancer.