The goal of this proposal is to establish a program of intensive laboratory research training for clinical oncology fellows at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH). The application was stimulated by a growing shortage of physician-scientists nationwide, a lack of emphasis on laboratory training in the hospital's current fellowship program in pediatric hematology-oncology, and by a major expansion of the hospital's facilities, including construction of a 244,000 sq ft research building and a 200,000 sq ft hospital and clinical research center, which now provide space for new faculty and trainees. Applicants to this program will perform laboratory research with preceptors selected from a faculty of experienced investigators in twelve interrelated disciplines relevant to cancer biology: biochemistry, experimental hematology, experimental oncology, genetics, hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplantation, immunology, infectious diseases, molecular pharmacology, pathology and laboratory medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, tumor cell biology, and virology/molecular biology. The program will enroll highly qualified MD's or MD/PhD's who have completed a residency in pediatrics or medicine and desire fellowship training in the subspecialty of hematology-oncology. Funds are requested to support three years of basic laboratory research training for each trainee; a year of clinical training mandated by subspecialty boards is funded separately using institutional resources. Fellows will be selected by a competitive evaluation process emphasizing the candidate's credentials and commitment to a career in academic medicine. Each preceptor is supported by extramural grants, has well-equipped laboratory space, and has access to specialized Cancer Center Core Grant-supported shared resource laboratories that provide the latest technology for research in cellular and molecular biology. Training efforts will extend to a comprehensive program of didactic coursework focusing on aspects of cancer research that are often neglected in programs of this type: biostatistics; scientific writing; the design, conduct and interpretation of clinical trials; and key issues related to biomedical research involving human subjects. The didactic component of the program will be augmented by cancer-related topics offered through an institutional seminar program that is integrated into the hospital's cancer center training mission. Further intellectual challenge is provided by regularly scheduled workshops, seminars, retreats and poster sessions. The trainees will meet on a regular basis with the program director, the training grant advisory committee, and the preceptor, so that individual problems or deficiencies can be identified and corrective steps initiated as quickly as possible. Taken together, this new program should attract outstanding candidates in the field of oncology and prepare them to become independent physician-scientists in today's highly competitive academic research environment.
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