The Career Enhancement Program (CEP) of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer SPORE is committed to identifying and mentoring junior faculty with the greatest potential of developing independent programs in translational breast cancer research. This is accomplished through a rigorous review process aimed at identifying the most talented and promising candidates followed by an intensive, rigorous and effective mentoring program. The mentoring program is based on the establishment and optimal functioning of a Multidisciplinary Mentoring Committee led by a senior investigator with the scientific expertise and commitment to developing the next generation of translational breast cancer researchers. The Multidisciplinary Mentoring Committee will be composed of the primary mentor and the complementary clinical and/or basic investigator necessary for a comprehensive mentoring program plus a statistician. It is viewed as crucial to the success of the awardee that the mentoring be ongoing and robust. This will be accomplished by close oversight by the Director of the CEP of the mentoring process and progress of the awardee. The Director of the CEP will report to the SPORE Co- Directors who, in turn, report to the SPORE Executive Committee. This intensive oversight process was established because of the firm conviction of the SPORE Co-Directors that the development of independent investigators and translational breast cancer research is central to the SPORE mission. The explicit expectation is that the awardees will utilize the resources made available to them for the development of independent research programs and acquisition of independent funding in breast cancer research. We are requesting $50,000 per year (direct costs) to support this program. This will be supplemented by $50,000 (direct costs) of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center support. One award of $100,000 per year will be made, which can be used for salary, technician support, and supplies. One awardee will be supported per year and a given awardee can be supported for up to two years providing satisfactory progress is demonstrated. To date the CEP has been successful in that three CEP awardees have been highly productive and have successfully competed to become Project Co-Leaders in full Projects of the SPORE.
The Career Enhancement Program is focused on identifying, supporting and mentoring the most highly qualified investigators in basic science, population science and clinical research who have the greatest potential to conduct meaningful translational research in breast cancer and develop independent research programs directed at reducing the burden and mortality from breast cancer.
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