): The goal of the Clinical Scientist T r aining Program in Cancer Gene Medicine is to train physicians in translational research relevant to clinical gene therapy. The training infrastructure is provided by an established and successful interdisciplinary UCLA Gene Medicine Program that was initiated with institutional support. This Program has now reached a stage of scientific maturity and depth that justifies the formation of a formal, long-term, multidisciplinary cancer-directed Training Program. The Program will help fulfill a national need for translationally-based clinical investigators in this field. The proposal requests two years of training support for six M.D. trainees to assist in achieving the Training Program's goals. T h e T raining Program is heavily weighted toward training clinical translational research investigators, but recognizes the necessity for a strong scientific base in virology, molecular biology, and cell physiology. To this end, it involves a subset of 24 members of the UCLA Gene Medicine Program Faculty whose research and educational focus best match the goals of the Training Program. The Faculty have their principal appointments in seven clinical and four basic science departments. Several talented junior faculty are included who will have the opportunity to co-mentor trainees along with experienced senior faculty. Trainee programs will be monitored throughout and final success of the Training Program will be judged by trainee placement in academia and their ability to compete successfully for individual research grants. The Training Program will be administered by four committees--Advisory, Recruitment, Education, and Training - all of which report to the Program Director. The Training Program will have several major educational elements: (1) multidisciplinary research training in Cancer Gene Medicine under the direction of an established investigator, (2) formal course work to establish sound background knowledge and (3) required participation in advanced research conferences, including the Annual UCLA Gene Therapy Symposium, laboratory workshops, affinity research group meetings, and courses in grant writing, biostatistics, and ethics course. It will involve all clinical oncology departments at UCLA. The Program, with its highly interactive multidisciplinary but thematically focused faculty, provides an outstanding training environment for the next generation of Gene Medicine investigators.
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