Training Program in Translational Radiation Oncology

描述(由申请人提供)：越来越多的人担心，如果不能培养足够数量的积极从事高质量转化研究的基础和内科科学家，将导致美国无法保持过去十年生物医学研究的进展速度。放射肿瘤学尤其如此，在过去10年或更长时间里，放射生物学、放射化学和放射物理学的内科科学家人数和博士人数大幅减少。放射肿瘤学、生物学和物理学站在一种新的、基于分子的方法的门槛上，该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来开发个性化的放射治疗方案，这将显著影响癌症患者的长期生存和生活质量。然而，为了确保这些进展的成功开发和转化，需要建立一支拥有共同知识基础并致力于转化性放射肿瘤学研究的基础科学家和放射肿瘤学家队伍。 为了满足这些需求，我们建议在维克森林大学医学院放射肿瘤学系设立翻译放射肿瘤学博士后培训计划(TRADONC)。该计划的主要目标是：i)通过增加接触放射肿瘤学临床实践的训练有素的基础科学家和医学物理学家的数量，拓宽转化性放射研究人员的研究基础设施；ii)培养一支精通假设驱动的基础、转化性和临床研究以及熟练设计和实施临床试验的临床放射肿瘤学家队伍。 我们建议每年招收两名实习生，直到六名学员参加该计划。这些受训人员将是已完成实习的放射肿瘤学研究员(MD)、博士后基础科学家(PhD)或博士后医学物理学家(PhD)；每个受训人员将获得为期3年的支持。共同的教学课程与个人定制的正式课程相结合，将确保共同的科学和临床知识基础。此外，所有受训人员将在不同的跨学科教员的指导下，获得基础实验室癌症研究和临床研究的实践经验。随着时间的推移，这将增加能够竞争外部研究资金的基础研究科学家、医学物理学家和放射肿瘤学家的数量，以及将实验室和临床相结合的多学科、转化性放射肿瘤学研究的数量和质量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a growing concern that the failure to train sufficient numbers of basic- and physician-scientists actively engaged in high quality, translational research, will result in the inability of the US to maintain the rate of progress in biomedical research achieved over the past decade. This is particularly true for radiation oncology, where the number of physician-scientists and the number of PhDs in radiation biology, radiation chemistry and radiation physics has decreased significantly over the last 10 or more years. Radiation oncology, biology and physics stand at the threshold of a new, molecular-based approach that promises to utilize the extraordinary advances in radiation delivery, molecular biology and molecular imaging to develop individualized radiation regimes that will significantly affect cancer patient long-term survival and quality of life. However, ensuring the successful development and translation of these advances necessitates the creation of a cadre of basic scientists and radiation oncologists who have a common knowledge base and are dedicated to the pursuit of translational radiation oncology research. To meet these needs, we propose the establishment of a postdoctoral Training Program in Translational Radiation Oncology (TRADONC) research in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine. 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 and medical physicists exposed to the clinical practice of radiation oncology, and ii] develop a cadre of clinical radiation oncologists proficient in hypothesis-driven basic, translational and clinical research as well as being proficient in the design and implementation of clinical trials. We propose to enroll two trainees each year until 6 are in the program. These trainees will be radiation oncology fellows (MDs) who have completed their residency, postdoctoral basic scientists (PhDs) or postdoctoral medical physicists (PhDs); each trainee will receive support for 3 years. A common didactic curriculum combined with individually tailored formal courses will ensure a common scientific and clinical knowledge base. Moreover, all trainees will receive hands-on experience in both basic laboratory cancer research and clinical research under the guidance of a diverse, interdisciplinary faculty. Over time, this will increase the number of basic research scientists, medical physicists and radiation oncologists able to compete for extramural research funding, as well as increase thenumber and quality of multidisciplinary, translational radiation oncology studies that integrate the lab and clinic