Our R25T Training Program in Cancer-related Population Sciences, a joint effort of Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), is now completing its 14th year and will not be eligible for renewal; thus, we submit this competitive renewal for an equivalent T32 grant. Funded continuously since 1985 by NCI T32 and R25T grants, we have provided multidisciplinary training to 45 predoctoral and 70 postdoctoral trainees. Most of them have developed successful academic careers, and many are now leaders in cancer epidemiology, biostatistics, carcinogenesis, survivorship and health outcomes research nationally. Since 2002, our R25T program has had 30 trainees. In its current cycle (2012-2017), it hosts 4 postdoctoral research fellows annually across 3 public health disciplines, supported by 19 R01-funded primary mentors and 24 secondary mentors. The average NIH grant portfolio of our primary mentors is $1.9 million/year. Past R25 trainees have published a mean of 8.75 papers with a mean of 3.5 first authored, and 20 out of 22 trainees from the last 10 years remain in research. We also have an outstanding applicant pool; 73% of applicants are training grant eligible; 18% selectivity; and 20% of trainees from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. This competitive renewal reports on new leadership at Mailman, the participating departments, and the NCI-funded HICCC, all of whom are deeply committed to ensuring the longstanding success of our Training Program and our fellows. Mailman provides salary support for the two PIs and part- time administrative assistant as well as space and support for the trainees. Our location in northern Manhattan, including Washington Heights and Harlem with their large underserved minority populations, and our close relationships with the New York City Department of Health, made us early leaders in disparities research, and our trainees benefit tremendously from those resources. In addition, our large portfolio of international collaborative projects, together with our catchment area studies, provides our fellows with a global perspective on cancer and the changing dynamics of the cancer epidemic, which is best understood through contrasts in study populations and exposures. Our leadership in health outcomes research and survivorship, as well as the emerging field of cancer care delivery research (CCDR) has gained us a large number of fellows in medical, pediatric, surgical and gynecologic oncology as trainees. We offer training modules in study design, clinical, behavioral, laboratory, health services, and data analysis. Our program also includes weekly journal clubs, biweekly seminars, a formal evaluation protocol, and mock study sections. We regularly interact with our External Advisory Board and invite them to visit annually to meet our fellows and hear about their research. A collaboration of epidemiology, biostatistics, and environmental health sciences, including clinical and laboratory training opportunities, our program offers a superb multidisciplinary, multidimensional milieu in which trainees can develop their research skills and find their own niches.

Public Health Relevance

This proposal seeks to fund a training program for 4 postdoctoral fellows annually in multidisciplinary research in population sciences in cancer, including epidemiology, biostatistics, carcinogenesis, health outcomes research, behavioral oncology, survivorship and cancer care delivery research. This program, entering its fourth cycle, has 19 R01-funded mentors and 20 of its last 22 graduates over the last ten years are in academic positions. Outstanding support from an outstanding school of public health and NCI-funded comprehensive cancer center contribute to the exceptional success of this highly successful training program.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32CA094061-19
Application #
9982795
Study Section
Subcommittee I - Transistion to Independence (NCI)
Program Officer
Lim, Susan E
Project Start
2017-09-01
Project End
2022-08-31
Budget Start
2020-09-01
Budget End
2021-08-31
Support Year
19
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
621889815
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10032
Moslehi, Roxana; Zeinomar, Nur; Boscoe, Francis P (2018) Incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma in Iranian provinces and American states matched on ultraviolet radiation exposure: an ecologic study. Environ Pollut 234:699-706
Kehm, Rebecca D; Spector, Logan G; Poynter, Jenny N et al. (2018) Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Cancer Incidence: A Population-Based Multilevel Analysis. Am J Epidemiol 187:982-991
Roberts, Maegan E; Zeinomar, Nur; Solomon, Benjamin D et al. (2018) Response to ten Broeke et al. Genet Med :
Roberts, Maegan E; Jackson, Sarah A; Susswein, Lisa R et al. (2018) MSH6 and PMS2 germ-line pathogenic variants implicated in Lynch syndrome are associated with breast cancer. Genet Med 20:1167-1174
O'Neil, Daniel S; Prigerson, Holly G; Mmoledi, Keletso et al. (2018) Informal Caregiver Challenges for Advanced Cancer Patients During End-of-Life Care in Johannesburg, South Africa and Distinctions Based on Place of Death. J Pain Symptom Manage 56:98-106
Kehm, Rebecca D; Osypuk, Theresa L; Poynter, Jenny N et al. (2018) Do pregnancy characteristics contribute to rising childhood cancer incidence rates in the United States? Pediatr Blood Cancer 65:
O'Neil, Daniel S; Francescone, Mark A; Khan, Karen et al. (2018) A Case of Bing-Neel Syndrome Successfully Treated with Ibrutinib. Case Rep Hematol 2018:8573105
Zeinomar, Nur; Thai, Ashley; Cloud, Ann J et al. (2017) Alcohol consumption and breast cancer-specific and all-cause mortality in women diagnosed with breast cancer at the New York site of the Breast Cancer Family Registry. PLoS One 12:e0189118
Moslehi, Roxana; Freedman, Elizabeth; Zeinomar, Nur et al. (2016) Importance of hereditary and selected environmental risk factors in the etiology of inflammatory breast cancer: a case-comparison study. BMC Cancer 16:334
Brouse, Corey H; Hillyer, Grace Clarke; Basch, Charles E et al. (2011) Geography, facilities, and promotional strategies used to encourage indoor tanning in New York City. J Community Health 36:635-9

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