Emory University?s Lung Cancer SPORE aims to promote the advancement of early career lung cancer investigators through the conduct of a Career Enhancement Program (CEP). The goals of the proposed Lung Cancer SPORE CEP are to provide training and guidance for academic physician-scientists, clinician- investigators, and laboratory-based scientists who wish to dedicate their efforts to translational research in the areas of diagnosis, imaging, prevention, treatment, and improvement in quality of life in lung cancer, and to enhance diversity among the lung cancer research community. The SPORE CEP will build on the strong commitment of the Emory Winship Cancer Institute and the associated School of Medicine Departments to the career development of junior investigators, which has included 18 career development program awardees as part of Emory?s previous head and neck cancer SPORE and an ongoing T32 training grant in molecular oncology. The proposed CEP aims to provide an environment that enables talented early career investigators to engage in a 2-year mentored research program and to facilitate their success and their academic career development in terms of achieving independent investigator status.
Specific aims for the CEP are as follows:
Aim 1 : To attract and mentor a talented group of early career investigators towards a career in translational lung cancer research;
Aim 2 : To engage biologists, scientists and physicians present at Emory University and local partner research institutions in the state of Georgia in translational lung cancer research;
Aim 3 : To enhance diversity among the lung cancer research community by encouraging minority individuals, women, and individuals with disabilities to apply for CEP support;
and Aim 4 : To foster and guide emerging strategies for the study of the biology, prevention and long term treatment of lung cancer. On average, 2 projects will be funded annually. Additional support for the CEP has been secured from matching funds from the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine and the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.
The Emory Lung Cancer SPORE Career Enhancement Program (CEP) intends to support pilot projects and the mentoring of early career academic physician-scientists, clinician-investigators, and laboratory-based scientists who wish to develop a career in translational research in the areas of diagnosis, imaging, prevention, treatment, and improvement in quality of life in lung cancer. The proposed CEP aims to provide an environment that enables talented early career investigators to engage in a 2-year mentored research program, to facilitate their success and their academic career development in terms of achieving independent investigator status, and to enhance diversity among the lung cancer research community.
