Program meetings An important component of the planning and evaluation process is that each Program is empowered to conduct its own planning. Planning and evaluation at the program level occurs at regular program meetings as well as program specific retreats. Each program meets regularly - Molecular Therapeutics and Chemistry and Cancer Programs meet weekly and Development and Cancer and Cell Networks Programs meet monthly. Program meetings are designed to highlight ongoing research in members programs and will also involve presentations from other programs when program leaders identify opportunities for potential interprogrammatic collaborations. Programs are provided a $10,000 annual budget to sponsor these meetings and consultants. Cancer Grand Rounds Cancer Grand Rounds was inaugurated in 2007 to provide campus with exposure of examples of translational cancer research. Deputy Director, Joan Schiller convenes the Cancer Center Grand Rounds and selection of speakers is suggested by disease oriented team leadership as well as program leaders. This event regularly attracts an audience of over 100 (Table 7.4.3 A) and the Cancer Center sponsors a buffet lunch for all attendees following the speaker presentation. This fosters informal conversation and interactions. Center wide Retreat The Cancer Center sponsors an annual full day retreat for all members. The retreat is organized around a scientific theme to coincide with Cancer Center plans for a new scientific initiative or area of emphasis. Program leaders take an active role in planning the event and overall responsibility for coordination of the event is rotated among the Associate Directors. Outside speakers are invited to provide perspective and information relevant to a new research theme and to interact with the Cancer Center leaders and members. A highlight of each annual retreat is trainee presentation of research at a poster session. Six travel awards of$1500 are provided to the top three presentations by graduate students and by post-graduate students. The annual Cancer Center retreat is a highlight of the Cancer Centers year. During the past three years Cancer Center retreats were held;2006, 2007, 2008 (see Table 7.4.3 B, p. 164). Mini Retreats. The Associate Directors and Program leaders organize Vs. day mini retreats (Table 7.4.3 C) that focus ontranslational research opportunities and are designed to bring basic and disease oriented investigators together around a topic. Criteria for these retreats are that they involve more than one program and focus on a translational research challenge. Participation is by invitation with approximately 25 to 30 participants in order to stimulate interaction and discussion. These retreats have been extraordinarily effective in buildinginter programmatic and new translational research initiatives. For example, this was the venue where Dr.Mangelsdorf s overview of his work on nuclear receptor profiling of cell lines led to clinical studies in archived tissues from patients with NSCL cancers. A retreat focused on high throughput screening efforts in the Chemistry program led to ideas for high throughput screening by other program members including those undenway by teams led by Dr. Lum and Dr. Parada. A highly successful retreat on obesity and cancer brought together investigators with very different backgrounds and led to planning for a new metabolic imaging of tumors initiative led by Dr. Sherry. New Program Planning - Developing program in population science and cancer control The developing work in population sciences and cancer control is poised to grow into a successful program in the Cancer Center during the next 5 years. In this section, we discuss the institutional context, themes that will guide the research focus of this developing program, and the team we are assembling research.
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