Enhanced Training and Mentorship of Hematologic Oncologists

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Project Summary Hematologic malignancies are a major health problem. There are approximately 1.2 million people in the United States living with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma, and these malignancies accounted for 10% of all new cancer diagnoses in 2016.1 Fortunately, the field of has experienced robust and promising advances in recent years. However, many patients with hematological malignancies continue to have unacceptable outcomes,8-10 and much work remains to improve their survival. Furthermore, patient-reported outcomes and cost-effectiveness are becoming key issues that are relevant to patients. In an effort to further advance the field of hematological malignancy and to improve patient outcomes, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) created the Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) 14 years ago to train junior researchers in the conduct of patient-oriented research and provide them the networks and mentorship to succeed in these careers. CRTI is a year-long program that annually exposes 20 fellows (applicants who at the time of their application and for the duration of the CRTI program are in hematology-related fellowship training) and junior faculty (applicants have completed their fellowship training within the past three years) to foundation, methodologies, and application of patient-oriented clinical research. Each fellow receives (1) extensive education in clinical research methods; (2) one-on-one exposure to leaders in the field of cancer research; (3) the opportunity for junior investigators to form peer networks; and (4) formal mentorship from successful clinical researchers. The Institute consists of a week-long Summer Workshop that includes interactive didactic presentations, small group discussions, training in the responsible conduct of research, and numerous hours of one-on-one and ad hoc group discussions. The Summer Workshop (in August) is followed by the December Class and the Final Class (in May) during which the entire class convenes to discuss their progress and obstacles. Each trainee identifies a CRTI mentor with whom he or she works during the entire program year to ensure career and research progress. Under this grant, we intend to expand the training curriculum to incorporate innovative teaching strategies, introduce new sessions consistent with current priorities such as patient engagement and precision medicine, enhance dissemination of the program through on-line resources, and increase connections via web- based approaches.