The aim of this T32 application ?Training in Cancer Biology and Transplantation? is to recruit and prepare highly qualified and diverse physicians for a research-intensive career in medical oncology (MO) or gynecological oncology (GO). Multiple reports have emphasized the dire shortage of board certified medical and gynecological oncologists anticipated in the US in the next decades and the potential impact of these clinical needs on the pool of physician-scientists to drive the advances in biologically-driven, evidence-based care. It is increasingly important to retain the best and brightest trainees in research careers. This training program is available only to MD or MD-PhD-prepared applicants who have strong interest in a research-intensive career. It offers two tracks: 1) support for 2 years of research training for 4 physician/scientists enrolled each year who have completed their first 12 or 18 months of clinical training in our Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved University of Washington/Fred Hutch Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program and 2) support for 1 Gynecological Oncology fellow in our University of Washington accredited program for 2 years of research training, giving a total of 9 physician-scientist fellows funded each year. The majority of the trainee?s time is spent conducting research under the direct supervision of a faculty mentor(s) selected by the trainee with additional guidance from a specially selected Research Oversight Committee and the Executive Committee of the T32. Our program provides didactic teaching and a strong foundation in research design, develops the trainees? ability to conceptualize and solve research problems, encourages increasing independence, provides training in state-of-the-art analytical techniques, requires trainees to present their research findings at scientific meetings and publish their results, and conveys an understanding of the relationship of the trainee?s research to health and disease. Our program consists of 90 talented, well-funded and well-published mentors who are deployed across nine specific research pathways to expose trainees to diverse scientific questions, methodologies, and disease models. Longitudinal evaluation to ensure optimal training for the trainee is intrinsic to the program. Multiple institutional resources to enhance career development are available to allow all trainees to develop a customized training plan. Cancer researchers trained in this program will be exceptional physician-scientists who are prepared for a career in a research-intensive setting in medical or gynecological oncology, with highly-developed research skills in cancer biology, diagnosis, prevention, therapy and outcomes.
The burden of cancer in the United States and across the globe is substantial with an estimated number of cancer cases and deaths in the US in 2019 of 1,762,450 and 606,880 individuals respectively. At the same time cancer is at the vanguard in the development of ?precision? approaches using a myriad of advances from the laboratory to advance prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship strategies and disseminate them broadly and equitably, and this requires trained scientists, especially physician-scientists, to drive the advances in biologically-driven, evidence-based care. The aim of this research training program is to recruit and prepare highly qualified physicians from diverse backgrounds for a research-intensive career in medical or gynecological oncology by developing research skills in cancer biology, diagnosis, prevention, therapy, and outcomes.
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