The objective of the present application is to continue the long-standing, highly successful, short-term research program in Cancer Biology at the University of Louisville. The current program has been the recipient of over twenty years of near-continuous NIH support. Throughout the tenure of this program, the highest priority has been given to disseminating, to health professional students, an appreciation for issues in cancer biology as they relate to diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the disease, from a clinical and research perspective. The current program provides a unique venue for student - faculty interaction, and provides highly motivated and qualified students with the opportunity to gain exposure to cancer biology and enhance their knowledge in this area through weekly Tumor Board conferences, Program Workconferences, special programmatic seminars, a """"""""Cancer Careers Minisymposium,"""""""" laboratory research, and presentations at local/national meetings. The present application has been revised substantially with regard to training faculty, outcomes assessment procedures, and special initiatives to increase student awareness of career opportunities in cancer health care and research. A new Health Science Center-wide training venture has been initiated, which benefits from the participation of eighteen core faculty, all of whom are funded extensively through federal/foundation sources and have a demonstrated commitment to biomedical research and education. This multidisciplinary group represents a forging of research and training partnerships spanning seven University departments and incorporating the University of Louisville Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, J. Graham Brown Cancer Center, Birth Defects Center, Center for Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute. Seventeen of the program Core Faculty are participating members of the J. Graham Brown Cancer Center. All have committed to provide trainees with exposure to, and involvement in, contemporary research programs in varied aspects of cancer biology and molecular mechanisms of cellular growth control. A noted cancer epidemiologist from the MD Anderson Cancer Center has been enlisted as a consultant to develop and execute a systematic strategy for program evaluation and trainee tracking, and to function as an educational advisor for the program. In summary, it is the objective of our program to provide a unique and contemporary educational venue in cancer biology, designed to train the next generation of academic clinical scientists. These individuals will be poised to enter the fields of cancer health care and research, and have a long-term impact on reducing cancer incidence, mortality and morbidity....the foremost theme of cancer prevention through cancer biology!
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