Multidisciplinary Training in Image Guided Therapy

Brigham And Women'S Hospital, Boston MA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose a Cancer Education Program to support the development and implementation of a curriculum dependent program in Image-Guided Therapy. Image-Guided Therapy is a novel but extremely significant area of cancer research. Minimally invasive image-guided therapy methods can reduce the mortality and morbidity of cancer and most likely will result in an improvement of the quality of life. The goal of the program is to train postdoctoral candidates (radiologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, bioengineers and computer scientists) in cancer related clinical and translational research settings in this emerging field which is highly inter- disciplinary and collaborative. The Image-Guided Therapy Program at the Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School is a rich multidisciplinary environment which brings researchers and clinical teams with diverse backgrounds together. In this program various, mostly MRI-guided procedures, are practiced using several therapy methods (percutaneous themal ablations, focused ultrasound surgery, brachytherapy and open surgeries) in multiple organs (brain, spine, liver, breast, prostate and musculoskeletal system). We propose the training of postdoctoral students (M.D.s and Ph.D.s) by an outstanding qualified and experienced group of preceptors with adequate funding and research support and specialized research skills. We plan to develop a specialized curriculum to augment the research and education and to attract highly qualified candidates for this exciting area of translational research.