Cancer Biology Training Grant

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Cancer Biology Training Program has developed into an integral component of graduate education at Duke University Medical Center since its inception in 1993. Beginning next year, the Program will expand to include a postdoctoral component that should markedly enhance its impact on this institution and in the field of cancer biology. At the core of the Training Program is the outstanding research environment in the Basic Sciences of Duke University Medical School and in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. The predoctoral component of the Training Program combines laboratory research experience in this environment with course instruction in the major areas of cell regulation and tumor biology, and students are also provided with career guidance and development. With substantial support from the University, the 20 student-years of support obtained from NCI over the past five years has been leveraged into development of a vibrant program that contains a total of 35 students that are pursuing their degrees in Molecular Cancer Biology. Our admissions and recruitment efforts have consistently improved over the past five years and are now providing us with outstanding, eager young predoctoral students. The Program contains over 30 faculty members from all six basic science departments and several clinical departments in the Medical School. Several new faculty have joined the Program in recent years and stepped into a high level of participation in training students in Cancer Biology; most of these members also have established track records in postdoctoral training, so we expect that component of the Program to get off to a rapid start. The establishment of this Program has provided a sense of excitement and a feeling of freshness in the biological scientific community at Duke, and its influence extends far beyond the NCI-supported trainees. Through the Cancer Biology Training Program, both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees will receive training that prepares them for competitive research in the field of cancer biology at the highest level. These trainees, in turn, are contributing greatly to the scientific life of this University. This competitive renewal Application includes a number of new initiatives, in addition to the expansion to include a postdoctoral component, that have been installed that should ensure its continued success. We are confident that these new initiatives will further enhance the value of Duke's Cancer Biology Training Program. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]