The Harvard Education Program in Cancer Prevention and Control, in its 24th year, is a dynamic transdisciplinary collaboration that brings together the extensive expertise of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, and Harvard Catalyst |The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center. We have trained 116 (60 predoc, 56 postdoc) fellows in transdisciplinary approaches to cancer prevention and control, and 88% of trainees currently hold a research- focused position. In this renewal, we are requesting continued support for 4 predoctoral and 4 postdoctoral trainees each year who have an average length of training of 4 years and 2 years respectively. The overall goal of the Program is to train fellows to become the next generation of scientists who are: (1) knowledgeable about the current state of the science of cancer prevention and control; (2) skilled in transdisciplinary research; (3) skilled in formulating and writing research proposals and scientific manuscripts for publication; and (4) anchored in peer and professional networks that support continual professional development and access to resources to translate their knowledge into new cancer research areas. Transdisciplinary training will be further enhanced by leveraging a new transdisciplinary PhD program in Population Health Sciences that integrates training in five public health disciplines, and by instituting a new approach to mentorship ? known as developmental networks ? which creates diverse mentoring teams. We have also added new indicators of transdisciplinary training into our evaluation plan. We have identified 5 focal areas in which trainees will receive robust training and research experiences, including: (1) cancer disparities; (2) global cancer prevention; (3) implementation science; (4) health communication; and (5) population health science. Robust and engaged internal and external advisory committees, and 25 very strong mentors with extensive research portfolios ensure that the program will continue to thrive and innovate in cancer prevention training. The maturity of this Program, extensive resources available through Harvard and synergy across the focal training areas provide an outstanding platform for training the next generation of cancer prevention scientists.
This training program is in its 24th year, and has trained 116 fellows in transdisciplinary approaches to cancer prevention and control. Eighty-eight percent of trainees currently hold a research-focused position. The maturity of this Program, extensive resources available through Harvard and synergy across the focal training areas provide an outstanding platform for training the next generation of cancer prevention scientists.
