Cancer Biostatistics Training Grant

描述(由申请人提供)：为了回应美国国立卫生研究院宣布可为竞争性修订申请(NOT-OD-09-058)提供恢复法案资金，宾夕法尼亚大学(宾夕法尼亚大学)医学院(SOM)临床流行病学和生物统计中心(CCEB)建议扩大正在进行的、成功的癌症生物统计学博士前培训计划。该计划的目标是培养个人成为严格和独立的学术研究人员，能够使用生物统计学中的一系列方法来解决癌症研究中的问题。该计划特别建立在生物统计、统计学和癌症研究人员之间现有的合作关系基础上，这些人员来自生物统计和流行病学(DBE)、艾布拉姆森癌症中心(ACC)和宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿统计学院(STAT)。 宾夕法尼亚大学医学院由国立卫生研究院和宾夕法尼亚大学卫生系统(UHPS)组成，为当地经济做出了巨大贡献。2008年，宾夕法尼亚医科大学创造了3.7万个就业机会和54亿美元的地区经济活动，该地区训练有素的劳动力仅为840个宾夕法尼亚大学员工研究职位空缺就产生了超过24600份申请。 这项针对统计学和生物统计学博士生的博士前培训计划，他们已经进入了论文培训阶段，提供了生物统计学基本技能、方法和原理的教学培训，重点是对癌症研究最重要的领域。学员需要通过参加癌症研究和癌症生物学的研究研讨会和一系列跨学科课程来获得与癌症相关的实质性领域的强大背景，这些课程审查癌症研究的方法学问题、科学方法、技术、概念和统计方法在癌症研究中的应用。具体地说，该培训计划旨在：1)提供适用于癌症研究的生物统计学技术的深入知识；2)在生物统计学和癌症研究方面向导师提供研究经验；3)提供跨学科的基础设施，将CCEB、DBE、ACC和STAT的教职员工和学生聚集在一起，旨在支持癌症生物统计学方面的研究生教育。扩大后的计划将在2009-10年度和2010-11年度在目前由正在进行的培训计划支持的四个奖学金基础上增加一个奖学金名额。 该计划的优势在于其生物统计学培训计划，包括向学生提供的全面课程；生物统计教员在生物统计方法和癌症研究的多个领域的广泛经验；教员对合作研究和培训的承诺；沃顿商学院提供的既定统计学教学计划；CCEB提供的成功临床研究培训计划的悠久历史；以及CCEB和DBE教员在生物统计和流行病学、ACC和STAT方面的现有合作联系。提供给学生的资源包括一系列正在进行的研究项目，包括临床试验、观察性研究、转化性研究和实验研究。宾夕法尼亚州立大学对合作研究和培训的承诺，以及参与该培训计划的教职员工的广泛专业知识和经验，为该培训计划提供了理想的环境。 相关性：生物统计学是一个在过去15到20年里在全国范围内变得重要和有影响力的领域。学术界对合格的生物统计学家的需求从未像现在这样迫切，因为全国范围内生物统计学学术教员职位的合格人员严重短缺。鉴于癌症预防和治疗干预措施的临床试验、连接实验室和床边的转化性研究中出现的重要和不断变化的统计问题，以及在临床和基础实验室科学调查中使用的新技术出现的复杂问题，在癌症研究方面培训生物统计学的必要性尤为重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In response to the NIH announcement regarding the Availability of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive Revision Applications (NOT-OD-09-058), the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Medicine (SOM) proposes to expand the ongoing and successful pre-doctoral training program in cancer biostatistics. The objective of this program is to train individuals to be rigorous and independent academic investigators able to use the range of approaches in biostatistics to address questions in cancer research. The program is specifically built upon existing collaborative relationships among biostatistics, statistics, and cancer research faculty in the CCEB and Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology (DBE), the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), and Wharton's Department of Statistics (STAT) at Penn. Penn Medicine, comprised of the SOM and the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UHPS), contributes substantially to the local economy. In 2008, Penn Medicine created 37,000 jobs and $5.4B in regional economic activity, with the area's highly trained workforce producing more than 24,600 applications for just 840 open Penn staff research positions. This pre-doctoral training program for PhD students in Statistics and Biostatistics, who have advanced to the dissertation stage of their training, provides didactic training in fundamental skills, methodologies, and principles of biostatistics, with emphasis on the areas of most importance to cancer research. Trainees are required to obtain a strong background in substantive areas related to cancer through participation in research seminars and a series of interdisciplinary courses in cancer research and cancer biology that examine methodologic issues, scientific approaches, technologies, concepts, and applications of statistical approaches in cancer research. Specifically, the training program is designed to: 1) provide in-depth knowledge of the biostatistical techniques appropriate to cancer research; 2) provide research experiences with mentors in both biostatistics and cancer research; and 3) provide an inter-disciplinary infrastructure, bringing together faculty and students in the CCEB, DBE, ACC, and STAT, designed to support graduate education in cancer biostatistics. The expanded program will add an additional fellowship slot in 2009-10 and 2010-11 to the four fellowships supported currently by the ongoing training program. The strengths of the program are its training program in biostatistics, including comprehensive course offerings available to students; the wide-ranging experience of the biostatistics faculty in multiple areas of biostatistics methods and cancer research; the commitment of the faculty to collaborative research and training; the established teaching program in Statistics offered by the Wharton School; the long history of successful clinical research training programs offered by the CCEB; and the existing collaborative links among CCEB and DBE faculty in biostatistics and epidemiology, the ACC, and STAT. The resources available to students include a broad array of ongoing research projects, including clinical trials, observational studies, translational research, and experimental studies. Penn's commitment to collaborative research and training and the broad range of expertise and experiences of faculty participating in this training program provide an ideal environment for this training program. RELEVANCE: Biostatistics is a field that has grown nationwide in importance and influence within the last 15 to 20 years. The need for qualified biostatisticians in academia has never been more acute, as there is an enormous national shortage of qualified personnel for academic faculty positions in biostatistics. The need for training in biostatistics in the context of cancer research is especially critical given the important and evolving statistical problems presented in clinical trials of interventions for cancer prevention and treatment, in translational studies bridging the laboratory and the bedside, and the complex problems that arise with new technologies used in clinical and basic laboratory science investigations.