The purpose of the Physician Scientist Training Program in Cancer Medicine is to enhance research training opportunities at the University of Wisconsin for physician scientists in the field of cancer medicine. During the past decade, the number of physicians entering academic medicine has declined, partly because of a limited number of institutions committed to the training of physician investigators. As a cancer center with a strong record of training high quality physician investigators and with particularly successful interactions between its laboratory and clinical programs, the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC) is an outstanding site for a formal research training program in cancer medicine. Participants in this program receive at least two years of investigative training in one of the established research programs of the UWCCC, such as genetics, cell signaling, etiology and prevention, cancer control, experimental therapeutics, immunology, virology and radiation and imaging sciences. Trainees work closely with a faculty mentor on a specific project in one of the above areas often with a disease specific focus e.g. breast cancer. Projects are presented to the Physician Scientist Training Grant Committee by the trainee both orally and in written NIH grant format with progress reports presented to this Committee every six months. The trainees are required to enter into the UW Clinical Investigator Preparatory Program which provides a curriculum of didactic courses, seminars, workshops and institutional resources designed for individuals training in clinical research. Applicants are drawn from the UW training programs in Medical Oncology, Radiation Therapy, Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine. Candidates from other training programs such as Urology, Surgical Oncology, Ophthalmology, Gastroenterology, etc. are considered if the applicant commits himself to focusing on a cancer related project and wishes to pursue a career in cancer medicine. Trainees are chosen based on the depth and quality of the applicant's research proposal. Six traineeships are awarded each year. Over the past 10 years, 17 trainees have completed their training. Fourteen of these trainees have assumed positions in academic medicine on the faculties of university cancer centers. Nine trainees are still in the midst of their fellowships, or residencies, or T32 traineeships.
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