The objective of the City of Hope (COH) Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program is to develop a new generation of clinical oncologic investigators capable of translating basic advances in cancer biology into novel strategies for the diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of malignant disease. This multidisciplinary effort will be available to outstanding surgeons, radiation oncologists, pathologists, pediatricians, and internists who have completed their fellowship training in oncology no more than three years previously, and who are appropriate for appointment to the faculty of the COH Comprehensive Cancer Center. Over the past ten years, the COH has pursued as one of its central goals the enhancement of interactive basic and clinical research at the cutting edge of molecular genetics, virology and gene therapy, immunology and immunotherapy, bone marrow transplantation and stem cell biology, and experimental therapeutics. During this time period, eight COH faculty physicians, including three surgical oncologists, one urologic surgical oncologist, and four medical oncologists have participated in the COH Clinical Ontology Research Career Development Program. All eight of these physicians currently have full-time academic positions either at COH or at another NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center; and all eight are actively engaged full time in all phases of oncologic clinical investigation and translational science. In this proposal, we describe a four-year curriculum which involves both didactic and """"""""hands-on"""""""" experiences in biostatistics, clinical investigation, basic science and laboratory research for training clinical investigators at the junior faculty level. During the first year, the core curriculum involves two 6-month rotations in the laboratories of senior investigators in molecular genetics, gene therapy, immunotherapy, experimental therapeutics, or hematologic malignancy as well as 7 hours per week of lectures and discussion. Trainees will be supervised by clinical and laboratory mentors throughout the entire 4 years of the program. In years 2 through 4, trainees will be involved in 2 hours per week of dedicated research seminars and journal clubs that will be an integral part of their supervised clinical and translational research program in which they will spend 28 hours per week. The activities of the trainees will be carefully assessed during the first year and at the end of years 2, 3 and 4. Furthermore, trainees will present progress reports orally to the Internal Advisory Committee of the program twice per year. Requirements for satisfactory completion of the clinical ontology career development program include the publication of a report of the trainee's clinical and laboratory research in a peer-reviewed journal, and the completion of both a clinical research protocol which the trainee will pursue during years 2 through 4, and a grant application detailing an appropriate combined clinical and laboratory study that is suitable for submission to the National Institutes of Health.
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