Pediatric Oncology Career Development Program at St. Jude

ABSTRACT St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) is home to the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center dedicated solely to pediatrics, giving our institution a unique role in advancing the nation’s efforts to combat cancer. Developing the next generation of clinician scientists focused on cancer in children and adolescents is critically important. SJCRH provides an exceptional environment for advanced training in patient- oriented oncology research. Clinical investigation is at the center of our mission. Our founding director, Dr. Don Pinkel, received the Lasker Award for demonstrating the power of combination chemotherapy. Today, world- class basic and translational research is integrated with a robust clinical and clinical research enterprise. For our patients with newly diagnosed cancer, 47% are enrolled in therapeutic trials within 15 days of diagnosis; 83% of all enrollments are to St Jude investigator-initiated trials; 38% of interventional trials for children with cancer are investigator-initiated and institutionally sponsored. Trainees in our hematology/oncology fellowship program have independent research projects, high-impact publications, and grants. However, the transition to faculty positions and loss of protected time for patient-oriented research are challenging. The Pediatric Oncology Career Development Program at St. Jude (POCDP) proposes to bridge this gap by leveraging the exceptional resources and training environment offered at SJCRH to provide protected time for mentored research for two scholars (instructor-level faculty). Scholars will be mentored by a Scholarly Oversight Committee (SOC) that will be tailored to their research interests. Each SOC will include a clinical researcher, an epidemiologist, basic or translational scientist, a biostatistician, and an external mentor. Didactic and experiential training will focus on three areas: (1) Translational Science and Medicine, (2) Clinical Trials Research and Management, and (3) Professional Development. Advanced academic training includes the opportunity to obtain a master's degree in clinical investigation. Scholars will engage in the clinical trial review process, trial design lecture series, clinical research tutorials, and leadership development sessions. Each scholar is expected to: design a clinical trial; present their research; and submit a career development grant. The “Visiting Scholar Exchange Program,” will provide the opportunity for scholars to gain exposure by being an invited speaker at a partner Cancer Center. Scholars’ progress will be monitored by their SOC and an Internal Steering Committee; program effectiveness will be evaluated by scholar research productivity (publications, grants, clinical trials), feedback from the scholars and the SOC, and evaluations by an External Advisory Board. At SJCRH, advanced genomics and translational science, innovative investigator-initiated clinical trials, and the seminal discoveries of the late effects of treatment by our Cancer Control and Survivorship Program provide an environment of exceptional clinical care and opportunities for training and development of leaders and innovators in patient- oriented research for children with cancer.