Cancer Biostatistics Training Grant

描述（由申请人提供）：根据美国国立卫生研究院关于竞争性修订申请恢复法案基金可用性的公告（NOT-OD-09-058），宾夕法尼亚大学医学院（SOM）临床流行病学和生物统计学中心（CCEB）提议扩大正在进行和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谨和独立的学术研究者，能够使用生物统计学的一系列方法来解决癌症研究中的问题。该项目特别建立在CCEB生物统计学、统计学和癌症研究教师、生物统计与流行病学系（DBE）、艾布拉姆森癌症中心（ACC）和宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院统计系（STAT）之间现有的合作关系之上。

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.