Training Program in Translational Radiation Oncology

描述（由申请人提供）：人们越来越担心，未能培养足够数量的积极从事高质量转化研究的基础科学家和内科科学家，将导致美国无法保持过去十年在生物医学研究方面取得的进展速度。在放射肿瘤学领域尤其如此，在过去10年或更长的时间里，放射生物学、放射化学和放射物理学领域的内科科学家和博士人数显著减少。放射肿瘤学、生物学和物理学正站在一种新的、基于分子的方法的门槛上，这种方法有望利用放射传递、分子生物学和分子成像方面的非凡进展来开发个性化的放射方案，这将显著影响癌症患者的长期生存和生活质量。然而，要确保这些进展的成功发展和转化，就必须建立一支由基础科学家和放射肿瘤学家组成的骨干队伍，他们拥有共同的知识基础，并致力于转化放射肿瘤学研究。

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