The Paul Calabresi Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology (K12 Program) at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center has been funded for more than 25 years. The overarching goal of the K12 Program is to develop a new generation of clinical oncology investigators capable of translating basic advances in cancer biology into novel strategies for the diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of malignant disease. To this end, the K12 Program provides a structured, multidisciplinary approach to training and mentoring junior faculty to ensure their success as clinician researchers and leaders in cancer research. Eligible candidates are within five years of completing their training and are selected from a variety of specialties. The Principal Investigator/Program Director, Associate Director, Program Administrator/Curriculum Director, and seven faculty members constitute the Advisory Committee. This Committee selects the Scholars, regularly assesses their academic progress, and provides input on the curriculum. Annually, two external advisors evaluate the overall program and the progress of the current Scholars. The four-year K12 Program begins with the year-long Clinical Investigator Training Program, which provides structured coursework in topics including study design, statistics, team building, protocol writing, good clinical practice, responsible conduct of research, and grant writing. Practical skills training in leadership and data presentation are incorporated throughout the four years. Each Scholar identifies a clinical and laboratory mentor who provide support throughout the Scholar?s completion of a translational research project, for which they are guaranteed protected time. The Scholars meet quarterly with the Advisory Committee and formally present their research progress biannually for critique and input on their progress. The Program Director and Associate Director meet individually with the Scholars on a quarterly basis to review the critiques of the Advisory Committee and to provide Scholars with the opportunity to troubleshoot any problems or barriers to their career development. Scholars are also encouraged to provide suggestions for program improvement. The K12 Program continues to evolve with the addition of new mentors and enhancements to the curriculum. Participation in the program is considered prestigious by both the Scholars and their mentors. The value of the K12 Program is evident in the success and productivity of our Scholars. The nineteen K12 Scholars enrolled in the past 10 years have produced 853 publications, 227 of which are first-author publications, and 199 of which are senior-author publications. They have been awarded 109 grants including three NIH R01s, an NIH R03, an NIH R21, four other NIH grants, 25 foundation grants, and 75 others. Eighteen of the nineteen Scholars continue as academic faculty and all have been promoted or are in the process of being promoted to the level of Professor or Associate Professor, emphasizing the ability of our program to train independent clinical investigators.
The goal of the K12 Career Development Program at City of Hope is to provide a structured, multidisciplinary approach to training junior faculty to become independent investigators capable of translating advances in molecular oncology to the bedside and back. K12 Scholars engage in a multidisciplinary curriculum with didactic, laboratory, and clinical experience components in basic, translational, and clinical research in cancer- related fields. Scholars are guaranteed protected time for mentored translational research, and each is mentored by a clinician-scientist and a laboratory researcher.
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