The purpose of the proposed program is to provide research training in oncology to young surgeons interested in academic surgical oncology as their primary focus. Trainees will be surgical residents with 2 or more years of postgraduate clinical experience. This Surgical Oncology Research Training Program has supported the research careers of 40 young trainee surgeons over the past 20 years. We are now applying for funding of years 21-26.. The goals of the two-year training program are to provide individuals with an intensive research experience in (1) hypothesis formulation and hypothesis testing, (2) experimental design, (3) data analysis, and (4) oral and written presentation. The ultimate objective of the program is to provide individuals with the scientific background and experience necessary to plan and perform high quality independent research in oncology upon completion of their surgical training. This research experience will enable trainees to apply for positions as junior faculty members in academic institutions and become independent and mentored clinical investigators and translational researchers. The program will vary according to the interest of the trainees and their preceptors;however, the program curriculum is designed to provide exposure to medical oncology, radiation oncology, clinical surgical oncology as well as basic science. Past trainees have worked in a wide variety of disciplines, including tumor immunology, cancer cell biology, immunobiology, immunophysiology, molecular genetics, angiogenesis, biochemistry, nutrition, pharmacology, molecular pathology, targeted therapeutics, therapeutic cloning, and growth and differentiation. Close contact between the trainee, preceptor and program director has been achieved. Trainees are required to attend weekly conferences and didactic lectures at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) to include clinical and laboratory seminars, case studies, tumor rounds, lectures on hypothesis formulation and testing as well as research design. The scientific quality of research performed by the trainees has been outstanding, and most of the fellows in the past 10 years have remained in academia. Given the success of the present program, expanding research resources and facilities at our institution, and the increased number of experienced mentors we request to expand the number of research training positions from 2 to 4 trainees per year.
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