There is strong evidence linking lifestyle and behavioral risk factors with incidence and survival after a range of cancers. Evidence-based interventions using implementation science approaches can substantially reduce disparities and the population burden of cancer. The number of individuals affected by cancer continues to grow as the U.S. population ages, and disparities in cancer incidence and mortality remain by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic level, and geography. As the NCI Blue Ribbon Research Panel noted, this is a critical time to use implementation science methods and insure that we train investigators in cancer prevention and control research who can reach multiple groups within a population. Increasingly, our health promotion goals cannot be achieved by working within a single discipline. Thus, our ongoing T32 Postdoctoral Training Program in Cancer Prevention and Control aims to bridge this gap. During our first cycle of funding, we have demonstrated success in recruiting, retaining, and training successful researchers, and note that half our trainees come from under-represented minority backgrounds. Trainees also represented multiple home disciplines. Trainees from our first funding cycle have gone on to obtain faculty positions and grant funding, including a K99-R00. We will continue to leverage institutional resources and ongoing NIH-funded research to sustain our training program and enhance the training experience. Our training program includes structured elements such as individual development plans, mentored research experiences, and customizable didactic training opportunities to complement training in implementation science and cancer health disparities. Our innovative training also includes a transdisciplinary journal club, career development programming, and training in communicating with media and lay audiences. Our process of evaluation and adaptation of the training experience based on internal and external advisors and the ever-changing field of cancer prevention and control, have resulted in us adding required training in cancer health disparities and implementation science. Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center offer a rich environment for trainees, and our transdisciplinary training in cancer prevention and control offers a unique resource to the university environment. This T32 mechanism allows us to train PhD and MD scientists to conduct transdisciplinary research and lead the next generation of cancer prevention and control researchers.
There is strong evidence that lifestyle and behavior are associated with cancer risk and that cancer prevention and control activities can impact population levels of cancer incidence and mortality. With the increasingly complex public health problem, researchers need to be versed in transdisciplinary and team science. Widespread implementation of interventions known to be effective and efforts to reduce cancer health disparities are critical areas are our under-addressed in cancer prevention and control. Our unique program aims to train the next generation of cancer prevention and control leaders by post-doctoral training in cancer disparities, implementation science, and transdisciplinary collaboration.
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