Training Program in Translational Radiation Oncology

描述(申请人提供)：放射肿瘤学、生物学和物理学站在新的治疗方法的门槛上，这些方法有望利用辐射传输、分子生物学和分子成像方面的非凡进步，这些进步将显著影响癌症患者的长期生存和生活质量(QOL)。然而，为了确保这些进展的成功发展，需要建立一支拥有共同知识基础的基础科学家、医学物理学家和放射肿瘤学家队伍，致力于将这些知识转化为临床实践，以帮助满足这些需求。WFUHS放射肿瘤科的博士后翻译放射肿瘤学培训计划(TRADONC)于2005年成立，并获得NCI资助。该计划的主要目标是：i)通过增加训练有素的具有生物学或物理学背景、接触临床放射肿瘤学的基础科学家的数量，拓宽转换放射研究人员的研究基础设施；ii)培养一支精通假说驱动的基础、翻译和临床研究的放射肿瘤学家队伍；以及iii)为生物学家、物理学家和放射肿瘤学家配备共同的知识库，使他们能够有效地互动，以改善癌症患者对放射治疗的反应和他们的生活质量。 我们认为，在最初5年的筹资期间，这方面取得了很好的进展。我们已经有100人申请了该计划，并任命了5名基础科学家、3名医学物理学家和2名放射肿瘤学家。4名学员已完成或退出该项目；6名学员仍在接受培训。在这次续签中，我们要求继续支持每年6个实习生职位。尽管TRADONC的总体目标没有改变，但我们根据我们的经验以及实验室和EAB的建议对培训计划进行了几次修改。这些措施包括，i)将3年奖学金改为2年，可选择3‘^’年，以帮助吸引和满足MD实习生的需求；ii)要求博士轮流参加所有放射肿瘤学服务；以及iii)通过放射肿瘤学论坛的挑战补充临床研究年。有了这些变化，我们相信该计划将更成功地培养出满足21世纪放射肿瘤学挑战所需的转化型基础科学家、医学物理学家和放射肿瘤学家队伍。 相关性：培训放射肿瘤学家、生物学家和物理学家在多学科研究团队中进行有效的互动和沟通，将确保将放射治疗、治疗计划、成像和生物学方面的进展有效地转化为癌症患者，从而显著改善长期生存和生活质量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Radiation oncology, biology and physics stand at the threshold of new approaches to treatment that promise to utilize the extraordinary advances in radiation delivery, molecular biology, and molecular imaging that will significantly affect a cancer patient's long-term survival and quality of life (QOL). However, ensuring the successful development of these advances necessitates the creation of a cadre of basic scientists, medical physicists and radiation oncologists with a common base of knowledge, dedicated to translating this knowledge into clinical practice To help meet these needs, the Postdoctoral Training Program in Translational Radiation Oncology (TRADONC) in the Department of Radiation Oncology at WFUHS was established and awarded NCI-funding in 2005. The major goals of this program are to i] broaden the research infrastructure of translational radiation researchers by increasing the number of well-trained basic scientists with biology or physics backgrounds exposed to clinical radiation oncology, ii] develop a cadre of radiation oncologists proficient in hypothesis-driven basic, translational, and clinical research, and iii] equip biologists, physicists, and radiation oncologists with a common knowledge base that will allow them to interact effectively to improve the response of cancer patients to radiotherapy and their quality of life. We believe that have made excellent progress during the initial 5 years of funding. We have had >100 individuals apply to the program and have appointed 5 basic scientists, 3 medical physicists, and 2 radiation oncologists. Four trainees have completed or left the program; 6 are still in training. In this renewal, we request continued support for 6 trainee positions per year. Although the overall goals of TRADONC have not changed, we have made several modifications to the training program based on our experience and the recommendations of the lAB and EAB. These include, i] changing the 3-year fellowship to 2 years with an optional 3'^'' year, to help attract and meet the needs of the MD trainees, ii] requiring a rotation through all the radiation oncology services for the PhDs, and iii] supplementing the year of clinical research with a Challenges in Radiation Oncology Forum. With these changes, we believe that the program will be even more successful in generating the cadre of translational basic scientists, medical physicists and radiation oncologist required to meet the radiation oncology challenges of the 21st century. RELEVANCE: Training radiation oncologists, biologists, and physicists to interact and communicate effectively in multi disciplinary research teams will ensure the effective translation of advances in radiation delivery, treatment planning, imaging and biology, to the cancer patient, resulting in significant improvements in long-term survival and quality of life.