The Growth Control Program was created in 2001 as part of the reorganization of the NYU Cancer Institute. In the initial phase of organizing the Program, we found it useful to have co-leaders, Drs. Pagano and Skolnik. After this initial period, the synergetic exertion by two leaders was no longer necessary. Accordingly, since 2003 the Program has been led only by Dr. Pagano. Among the reasons for this change was the recommendation of the last site visitors who concluded that there was undesirable overlap in responsibilities with two co-leaders. The program started with 17 members. However, Dr. Pagano was committed to creating a critical mass around the central theme of the program by broadening its base and developing new initiatives in important areas (e.g., the integration of bench research with translational research and the promotion of productive interactions between basic scientists and clinicians, see sections 8.2.g and 8.2.h). Therefore, he selected a Steering Committee (see below) to solicit new members. The Steering Committee decided to focus on issues beyond the scientific stature of the candidate members, seeking investigators who would truly make a concrete contribution to the objectives of the Program and devote >50% of their time to the scientific themes of the Program. Following several strategic planning sessions, additional scientists whose expertise would advance the program's objectives were enrolled. This growth was also fueled by the new faculty recruitment efforts of the NYUCI. Currently, the program includes 44 members of which 18 (41%) are junior faculty members. Importantly, 17 members of the program (39%) were recruited to NYU after 2002 (see details in the Table below). The extraordinary growth that the Program has experienced in the last four years represents an essential transition period that is expected to maximize programmatic cohesion and foster research interactions. The criteria used for selecting solicited and unsolicited applications for membership in the Growth Control Program include: 1) Demonstrated commitment, expertise and funding in basic and translational cancer-relevant research;2) Evidence of ongoing collaborative efforts with other investigators in these areas;3) Commitment to the shared objectives of the Growth Control Program and the NYU Cancer Institute as a whole;4) Funding from NCI or equivalent national organization for peer-reviewed, cancer-relevant and investigator-initiated research (junior investigators excluded). The membership of the Growth Control Program is reviewed annually by the Steering Committee. Members who fail to participate in the program activities during the previous year are presented with an opportunity to resign or increase their participation.
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