The continuing University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) R-25 program, Education Program in Cancer Prevention, provides pre-doctoral training in cancer epidemiology, prevention, and control. The cancer pre- vention field is complex and cancer prevention specialists are too few in number. The Program recognizes the need for more dedicated professionals with specialized multi-disciplinary training in cancer and popula- tion-based research methods. As a primary specific aim, the Program targets promising pre-doctoral candi- dates completing a Ph.D. in epidemiology with a research focus on cancer epidemiology and prevention. Applying local research opportunities and recently added faculty members with relevant expertise and inter- national reputation, the Program emphasizes principles and practices pertinent to cancer molecular epidemi- ology research. Multidisciplinary training includes both a didactic component and a mentored research experience. Trainees lacking relevant basic skills complete formal course work in cancer biology, statistical genetics, and molecular epidemiology. As well, trainees attend Advanced Topics in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, a newly developed course that combines a continuous rotating series of program-specific weekly seminars with practical field experiences. Additional curriculum development efforts aim to introduce specific cancer content into an existing Department of Epidemiology laboratory methods course, Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory Course (EPIDEM 2601). The Program provides mentored research experiences coordinated through the efforts of eighteen core faculty members representing departments of epidemiology, biostatistics, human genetics, environmental health, behavioral medicine, and internal medicine. Core faculty provides access to a rich network of potential mentors, research topics, and suitable human populations, both clinical and community-based. Under the supervision of two mentors representing different disciplines, trainees design, implement, and complete a cancer control or prevention research project involving human subjects. As a final product and as a measure of success, trainees write individual training award applications, suitable for submission and funding under the Transition Career Development Award (K22), Cancer Prevention, Control, Behavioral and Population Science Career Development Award (K07), or National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Postdoctoral Fellows (F32) mechanisms.
| Shiffman, Saul; Li, Xiaoxue; Dunbar, Michael S et al. (2015) Social smoking among intermittent smokers. Drug Alcohol Depend 154:184-91 |
| Ferguson, Stuart G; Frandsen, Mai; Dunbar, Michael S et al. (2015) Gender and stimulus control of smoking behavior. Nicotine Tob Res 17:431-7 |
| Wray, Jennifer M; Gray, Kevin M; McClure, Erin A et al. (2015) Gender differences in responses to cues presented in the natural environment of cigarette smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 17:438-42 |
| McDonald, Alicia C; Jenkins, Frank J; Bunker, Clareann H et al. (2015) Human herpesvirus 8 seroconversion in a population-based cohort of men in Tobago. J Med Virol 87:642-7 |
| Shiffman, Saul; Dunbar, Michael S; Kirchner, Thomas R et al. (2015) Cue reactivity in converted and native intermittent smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 17:119-23 |
| Patrick, Alan L; Bunker, Clareann H; Nelson, Joel B et al. (2015) Argument for prostate cancer screening in populations of African-Caribbean origin. BJU Int 116:507-8 |
| Shiffman, Saul; Li, Xiaoxue; Dunbar, Michael S et al. (2015) Does laboratory cue reactivity correlate with real-world craving and smoking responses to cues? Drug Alcohol Depend 155:163-9 |
| Dunbar, Michael S; Shiffman, Saul; Kirchner, Thomas R et al. (2014) Nicotine dependence, ""background"" and cue-induced craving and smoking in the laboratory. Drug Alcohol Depend 142:197-203 |
| Shiffman, Saul; Dunbar, Michael S; Li, Xiaoxue et al. (2014) Craving in intermittent and daily smokers during ad libitum smoking. Nicotine Tob Res 16:1063-9 |
| Shiffman, Saul; Dunbar, Michael S; Benowitz, Neal L (2014) A comparison of nicotine biomarkers and smoking patterns in daily and nondaily smokers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 23:1264-72 |
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