Career Enhancement Program

University Of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of the MD Anderson Sarcoma SPORE Career Enhancement Program (CEP) is to recruit talented new researchers to the area of sarcoma translational research. Experienced translational investigators will mentor CEP awardees in the development of their research programs in sarcoma. The CEP will support two awards per year. One award will be aimed at funding senior postdocs and clinical fellows ready to transition to independent careers for $50,000 for one year, with a possibility to renew for an additional year. The second award, made possible by philanthropy funds from the Quad W foundation, will focus on early-career faculty or a more senior researcher who wishes to make a career change to pursue translational research in sarcoma. These early-career faculty awards, with a two-year period and awarded every other year, will be $100,000 per award ($50,000/year). Candidates will include junior investigators (post-doctoral fellows, clinical fellows, instructors, assistant professors) and established investigators who wish to develop or refocus their careers on translational sarcoma research from MD Anderson as well as from other institutions within the Texas Medical Center and participating Gulf Coast Consortia institutions. Selection of CEP awardees will be based on the scientific uniqueness, quality, and novelty of the proposed research, and the appropriateness of the mentoring plan. Proposals will be evaluated and scored by the CEP Selection Committee, and the awardees will meet with their designated mentors regularly, and they will also be required to participate and report their progress at monthly and annual MD Anderson Sarcoma SPORE meetings. The CEP Selection Committee will be led by the CEP Director, Andrew Futreal, PhD, who has extensive experience mentoring scientists and physician-scientists in translational research.