Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Award

University Of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr, Houston TX

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Although knowledge of cancer biology in the laboratory has increased exponentially in recent years, progress in cancer treatment in the clinic has been more gradual. To accelerate progress in the clinic, a larger group of exceptional clinician-investigators is needed to perform patient-oriented, hypothesis-driven therapeutic translational research. The MD Anderson (MDACC) K12 Paul Calabresi Program in Clinical Oncology has taken advantage of an extraordinary environment for clinical and translational research to help fill this need. MDACC brings together 2,014 faculty and over 40,000 new patients each year with a well-developed infrastructure for clinical and laboratory research and novel ideas that are supported by more than 300 NCI grants. For eight decades, MDACC investigators have made important contributions to clinical cancer research. Since the inception of the MDACC K12 Program in 2000, 40 junior faculty investigators have been trained in patient-based translational research with the Program’s support. Of the 35 graduates, 31 (89%) remain in academia and 13 have made discoveries that have changed cancer care. Collectively, MDACC Calabresi Scholars have authored over 6,300 peer-reviewed publications and have an average h-index of 39.83 (reported by Scopus). They have competed successfully for more than $35M in grants and contracts. Over the next five years, faculty supported by this award will conduct hypothesis-driven clinical trials and will have the opportunity to earn an M.S. or Ph.D. in a newly-chartered program in Clinical and Translational Science. They will participate in the monthly “Master Class” and the annual “Calabresi K Symposium”. Their Individualized Training Plans will include didactic classes, clinical trials, publications, grant applications, and long-range planning. Each Calabresi Scholar is guided by a clinical mentor and a translational mentor chosen from more than 45 subject matter experts in clinical, laboratory, and translational research. Particular emphasis will be placed on rigorous program evaluation and scholar progress. Our overall goal is to identify and develop careers of leaders who are needed to move an increasing number of new drugs and strategies from the laboratory to the clinic and to bring insights, images, data, and tissue from the clinic to the laboratory, accelerating the development of more effective, less toxic personalized therapy. Funds are requested to include five junior faculty not only from MDACC, but also from UT Health in Houston.