We propose a Predoctoral and a Postdoctoral Training Program in Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The training programs will be located in the School of Public Health -- the predoctoral program in the Division of Community Health Sciences (CHS) and the postdoctoral program in the Prevention Research Center. We will admit one new predoctoral trainee per year and two postdoctoral fellows. The postdoctoral fellows will be evenly divided between PhDs and MDs. Predoctoral trainees will be expected to complete a PhD in the Health Promotion track of CHS, with an emphasis in CPC research. Courses are required in the following areas: cancer biology, treatment and control; cancer epidemiology; statistics and research methods; and behavioral sciences and health promotion. All trainees will complete a Cancer Prevention/Control Rotation, during which they will acquire the skills to develop, implement and evaluate behavioral interventions. They will also attend a Prevention Research Seminar Series every semester of their program at which UIC and visiting faculty present their research. Finally, they will complete a dissertation based on independent research. The program is expected to take three years, and longer for some who need more prerequisites than others. In the postdoctoral training program, the emphasis is on fellows working with faculty on ongoing CPC research projects and developing their own research program. However, postdoctoral fellows will be expected to also complete several core courses to ensure that they have 1) basic knowledge of cancer biology, epidemiology, treatment and control, 2) skills in research methods and statistics, and 3) skills in behavioral intervention design, implementation and evaluation. The amount of coursework required will be tailored for each fellow, depending on their background. Fellows with PhDs in the behavioral sciences may need only the cancer content and improvement of their research or intervention skills. Fellows with an MD may require extensive education in research methods and the behavioral sciences, as well as some improvement of their knowledge of cancer. Thus, we expect that MDs will spend three years in the postdoctoral program, while many PhD fellows may complete the program in two years. UIC faculty are very active in CPC research, with 33 faculty currently conducting CPC research. We have formed a Cancer Education Committee of 13 faculty most active in CPC research; 29 other faculty will contribute to the training program. The Director of the program will be Dr. Brian R. Flay, D.Phil., whose work in smoking and drug abuse prevention, and on the use of mass media for smoking cessation is well known. CEC faculty have extensive experience in training for cancer prevention and control research. UIC provides a particularly rich training environment because participating faculty have been very successful in attracting research funds from NCI and many other Federal and non-Federal agencies. Active research addresses all anatomical sites of cancer, and emphasizes behavioral approaches to 1) prevention and 2) early detection and screening.
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