Remarkable gains have been made in the treatment of pediatric cancers over the past 50 years resulting in a growing population of long-term survivors of childhood cancer that is anticipated to exceed 500,000 by 2020. Many long-term survivors experience chronic health conditions and poor health behaviors, which significantly contributes to medical burden and impacts functional outcomes and quality of life. Research on long-term survivors of pediatric cancer is continually informing the design of new treatment approaches for newly diagnosed patients, with the objective of minimizing long-term therapy-related morbidity and mortality. As the vast majority of children diagnosed with cancer will become long-term survivors and will be at risk for experiencing multiple complications following treatment, continued research is needed to enhance health and functional outcomes. Future research efforts will require well-trained independent investigators from the fields of oncology, epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral and social sciences, cancer biology and genetics, health services, and other allied health disciplines. While some T32-funded cancer training programs offer training opportunities in cancer survivorship, few academic institutions possess the resources and large multidisciplinary team that St. Jude does to provide in-depth post-doctoral research training focusing on pediatric cancer populations. Currently, there are no NIH-funded training programs with a primary focus on pediatric cancer survivorship. The purpose of the proposed training program is to develop the next generation of scientific leaders with the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge that is necessary to become world-class competitive scientists in the area of pediatric cancer survivorship. Our new program will maintain three postdoctoral fellow positions the first three years and four positions beginning in year 4. The key elements to the program includes: a Scholarship Oversight Team comprised of a primary and secondary mentors and a clinical collaborator; a Management Committee to review program progress; an Advisory Committee; clinical and research training relating to cancer survivorship and pediatric oncology; a formal but flexible MPH curriculum in epidemiology, biostatistics or health systems policy; training in scientific writing, grant preparation and grant review; a requirement that trainees submit a research grant by the end of their second year in the program; and a detailed evaluation that will track the ongoing progress of the trainees and their subsequent careers. The innovation and uniqueness of the program includes its comprehensive focus on pediatric cancer survivorship across the lifespan of the survivor.
? This application would provide training to young epidemiologists, behavioral scientists, geneticists and clinician-researchers who will become the next generation of scientists in pediatric cancer survivorship research. The training focuses on epidemiology, pediatric cancer survivorship, genetics, and cancer control outcomes; progress in these areas could have a major impact in reducing the burden of cancer and improving quality of life in cancer survivors.
