Unliquidated Obligations from Year 10: NRSA T32: Interdisciplinary Research Training in Cancer Biology

ABSTRACT: Our interdisciplinary program will focus on training pre-doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows in cancer biology so they can effectively decipher important research questions associated with human cancer. This will be accomplished by integrating established, successful programs in diverse cancer biology themes together with clinical exposure into one cohesive program. Trainees will receive didactic and non-didactic instruction; laboratory-based basic science research training in cancer research and cutting-edge clinical applications; and career development as independent cancer biologists. To further growth as important members of the scientific community, students and fellows will receive ample training to articulate their ideas and communicate them effectively, evaluate biomedical research and mentor others in scientific excellence. This program assembles a cohesive group of faculty from various departments at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Pharmacy. In the past 10 years, our program faculty trained 42 104 doctoral students and 44 109 post-doctoral students; our faculty have the experience and interdisciplinary focus to guide this group of trainees to function in research teams pursuing multidisciplinary investigations. We mentor trainees to be proficient at utilizing hypothesis-driven approaches as well as discovery-oriented researc h design to address key problems. All trainees are required to complete foundation courses in graduate-level Genetics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biostatistics , and Ethics, as well as Biology and Therapy of Cancer, which emphasizes cancer in the context of human disease. Unique features of this program include interdisciplinary training emphasizing bench to bedside (and vice versa) research topics, as well as a mandatory Cellular and Molecular Oncology course that encompasses tumor boards and clinician shadowing to provide a bridge between the fundamental biology of cancer and clinical cancer. Training also involves mandatory participation in the weekly Markey Cancer Center (MCC) Seminars , Cancer Biology journal club, training workshops in specialized topics, and a fellowship boot camp to increas e the number of individual fellowships and grants from our trainees. The ultimate objective of this program is to develop a cadre of future scientists who will lead integrative team approaches and understand the complex issue of cancer as it relates to potential prevention and treatment strategies. To ensure our commitment to the clinical translation of basic science discoveries, MCC Associate Director Kathleen O’Connor, PhD, and Director B. Mark Evers, MD, will serve as PIs for this team-based training program. UK places a significant emphasis on training minority students, post-doctoral researchers and physicians; this program will continue to ensure the inclusion of individuals with under-represented racial and ethnic background to better serve our diverse society. Accordingly, with the enthusiastic support of the MCC and the UK Vice President for Research, this training program will mentor the next generation of cancer researchers to better understand and treat cancers.