The program objectives are to train head and neck surgical oncologists in 1) multi-disciplinary head and neck oncology clinical practice;2) basic science, translational, health-services and/or clinical research, methodology;and 3) didactic and clinical educational skills, so that they can provide leadership in academic departments of head and neck surgery. With a striking decrease in the number of applicants to head and neck surgical oncology training programs nationally, established and funded programs, which provide research and clinical training, are needed to maintain the high standards of academic training to address an impending health care shortfall of qualified head and neck surgical oncologists. To achieve these objectives, we continue to offer a three-year fellowship curriculum that includes 24 months of laboratory, translational, health-services and/or clinical research training, and 12 months of advanced head and neck surgical oncology training in which the trainees have extensive exposure to medical oncology, radiation oncology, speech pathology, and dental oncology. A mandatory core curriculum provided through the Institution's Graduate Medical Education Program provides training in the theory and practice of radiation and medical oncology, cancer biology, research ethics, responsible conduct of research, clinical trial design, and biostatistics. The Department of Head and Neck Surgery has its own core curriculum and seminar series, which expands on these topics and applies them to those diseases of greatest relevance to head and neck oncologists. Instruction is also provided in research regulatory compliance with training in Human Subjects Research, HIPAA Compliance, Radiation and Biosafety, and Animal Care and Use. The program also includes optional academic course work through the Graduate Schools of Biomedical Sciences or Public Health that can culminate in a Master's Degree. One graduate of this program is currently completing additional training and three others hold faculty positions in our department and Baylor College of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. The current application seeks continued stipend support for trainees undergoing laboratory or Health services research training while the institution provides salary support for the period of advanced surgical training. Finally, we will continue the practice of recruiting, interviewing and enrolling trainees of both genders, and diverse cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds.
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