Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC)

Since receiving one of the first NCI designations as a Basic Laboratory Cancer Research Center, the Salk Cancer Center (SCC) has initiated, implemented, and enhanced cancer-focused education, training, and mentoring at all levels. The CRTEC Core is led by Geoffrey WahlGEA, Professor and SCC Deputy Director for Education and Training, and overseen by a committee of diverse stakeholders. CRTEC ensures that SCC training, education, and outreach activities incorporate the latest scientific advances, technologies, and methods relevant to the two SCC Research Programs, and that these efforts are well-aligned with the SCC strategic plan. Through three programmatic goals and two operational goals, CRTEC ensures that SCC training, education, and outreach programs are available to the entire cancer workforce career spectrum and effectively communicate SCC research and opportunities to the external community. The three programmatic goals are to: 1) implement high quality research and training programs, 2) develop professional skills for career success and advancement, and 3) support fellowship and grant applications. In support of these goals, the Core works with SCC leadership, seminar committees, NCI T32 leadership, and Shared Resource Directors to deliver broad education and training opportunities. These include inviting speakers to present seminars encompassing topics that span both basic and clinical cancer science, and providing workshops on the most advanced microscopic, transcriptomic, epigenetic, informatic, metabolic, and other techniques. To support career success and advancement of SCC members, the Core develops and implements programs that enable SCC trainees and faculty to stay abreast of the most exciting cancer science, to effectively relay the importance of their discoveries to broad audiences, and to develop career skills through mentoring and coursework. The Core works with the Grants Development Department to provide fellowship- and grant-writing training and support and to develop multi-PI and complex grant proposals. Beyond the SCC, continued focus will be placed on community outreach to K-12 schools through creative strategies, such as interactive hands-on experiences and real time social media interactions with bench researchers. Finally, the two operational goals are to: 1) ensure robust processes to identify opportunities and implement new initiatives, and 2) evaluate existing programs to determine those that should be modified, expanded, or discontinued.