Training Program in Basic and Translational Pediatric Oncology Research

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PROJECT SUMMARY Pediatric cancers are generally quite different than adult cancers. For example, pediatric cancers exhibit unique oncogenic mechanisms, often reflective of aberrant developmental pathways. Thankfully, pediatric cancers are rare, and so the field must rely more strongly on cooperation, collaboration, and team-science to enable scientific progress and translation to the clinic. These realities, when combined with an insufficient research workforce, necessitate the development of a specifically-designed training program for pediatric oncology research. The overarching goal of the “Training Program in Basic and Translational Pediatric Oncology Research” is to provide postdoctoral and graduate student trainees with the requisite skills and expertise to develop into successful researchers focused on pediatric oncology. The Training Program is centered at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a world-renowned pediatric research hospital environment, and also leverages the strengths of The Ohio State University as an academic partner. Training includes strong mentorship in laboratory-based basic and translational research with newly-developed program-specific classwork, a broad palette of elective classwork, thoughtful training in career-development, team science, and relationship-building, and a clinical exposure plan to enable trainees to better appreciate the impact of their work on patients, families, and clinical teams. This new application seeks 6 training slots per year: 3 postdoctoral fellows and 3 graduate students. Trainees will generally spend 2 years in the Training Program. Postdoctoral trainees include Pediatric Heme/Onc/BMT MD (or MD/PhD) fellows and PhD (or MD/PhD) postdoctoral trainees. Graduate students are drawn from one of three graduate programs at The Ohio State University. A well-constructed trainee selection plan with a focus on diversity will ensure that the trainees who enter the Training Program have a high-likelihood for success in their ultimate entry into the field of pediatric cancer research. Finally, the Training Program includes a thoughtful logic model as a framework for program evaluation and continuous improvement cycles. The trainees, the mentors, and the Training Program itself will all be subjected to rigorous evaluation by our External and Internal Advisory Boards, consisting of individuals with key areas of expertise and focus, to ensure that the Training Program continues to evolve as training needs evolve. Overall, the Training Program in Basic and Translational Pediatric Oncology Research will expand highly- skilled pediatric oncology research and improve its collaborative potential to transform the care of children with cancer.