This K-12 Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program is based at New York University Medical Center and at the NCI-designated Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The goals of this program are to stimulate the recruitment and training of physician scientists for research careers focused on translating basic science observations into new clinical procedures and approaches that will have direct benefit to cancer patients. Highly qualified and motivated clinical oncologists with a primary modality orientation in specialties such as medical, radiation, surgical and pediatric oncology will have the opportunity to be immersed in an environment of exciting peer reviewed clinically relevant basic science research programs. The curriculum will be developed as a collaborative effort of the trainee with his or her sponsors. The four part curriculum will be divided into an initial (phase I) and intense (phase II) research component, a clinical research training component and a didactic component. The research in Phase I will be the initial research experience focused on a basic science learning experience designed to give the trainee an in-depth operational relationship with a basic laboratory. During the second research phase, the trainee would develop an intense research activity that would evolve from experiences during Phase I and would result in a gradual progression to an independent research project that would ultimately lead to funded independent research activities. The clinical research training will be focused on development of skills in clinical trials methodology including epidemiology and biostatistics. The didactic component would include courses in molecular biology and statistics and attendance at seminars, conferences, and colloquia. A multidisciplinary Advisory Committee similar to a graduate student training committee will be established to approve the selection of trainees, approve research projects of the trainees, and to have an ongoing evaluation responsibility of individual trainees and the program as a whole. The faculty is composed of both clinical and basic science faculty who have considerable track records of peer review funded research and training of research scientists. One to two trainees are expected to enter the program each year and spend from 3-5 years in the training program.
