CAREER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and Vanderbilt University (VU), collectively referred to as ?Vanderbilt?, are deeply invested in continuously expanding the quantity and quality of opportunities for career-long training in translational research available to physicians, physician-scientists and researchers across the continuum from basic to translational to clinical to population- based science. The NCI-funded Vanderbilt SPORE programs have played an integral role in enhancing the careers of many faculty members and catalyzing talented basic scientists to translate their fundamental discoveries to translational endpoints, as evidenced by projects in the current and proposed SPORE. VUMC has 44 NIH and other federal institutional training grants. It is home to seven K12s, Vanderbilt's Clinical and Translational Research Scholars KL2 awards from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), and numerous individual K awardees. Each year more than 300 trainees are appointed to career development programs including T32s, F31s, F32s, and K awards or the equivalent. The majority of trainees are engaged in collaborative work that has direct implications for human health, healthcare or population health. These actions are of vital importance for the success of the Breast SPORE, as well as for our ultimate goal: a reduction in the incidence, morbidity and mortality resulting from breast cancer. To achieve these overall goals, the SPORE includes a Career Enhancement Program (CEP) with two complementary areas of career enhancement focus: a physician-scientist/translational investigator (MD and MD/PhD) and a basic or population research scientist (PhD). For the first area of focus, the Breast SPORE has built upon two successful NIH funded training programs: the Vanderbilt Physician Scientist Development (VPSD) Program and the Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program (VCORCDP, K12). The second area of focus of the CEP is geared towards early, mid-career or senior basic scientists (PhDs) who wish to focus their research in breast cancer. Our highly successful CEP has supported eleven investigators (thirteen total awards) in the current funding period; three physician-scientists and eight basic scientists. Thirty publications have resulted from CEP awardees. Six of the awardees have obtained extramural grants for a total combined budget of over $9.3M (total costs). In addition, several CEP recipients have become major contributors in the competitive renewal of the Breast SPORE with two awardees co-leading two of the translational projects in the proposed SPORE; two other awardees working with project leaders as basic co-investigators and one awardee working with core directors as a co-investigator. The CEP will continue to (1) provide translational research mentorship, training and opportunities for investigators to develop the knowledge, skills and expertise to successfully pursue independent, extramurally-funded careers focused in translational research in breast cancer, and (2) make it a high priority to recruit underrepresented investigators into breast cancer research.
CAREER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM The Career Enhancement Program (CEP) has two complementary areas of career enhancement focus: a physician-scientist/translational investigator (MD and MD/PhD) and a basic or population research scientist (PhD). We strongly believe that this dual pathway is highly relevant and important in order to recruit the best institutional talent into research domains that can eventually lead for the successful reduction in the incidence, morbidity and mortality resulting from breast cancer.
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