Preparing Nurse Scientists to Lead the Future of Oncology Research

Until recently, the concept of the “oncology nurse” was limited to those having extra competency in administering chemotherapy, coordinating care delivery, or working with investigators to screen, enroll, and manage patients in clinical trials. With increasing recognition of the ability of PhD oncology nurse researchers to walk seamlessly between the “bedside and the bench” and acquire high value data, there is an urgent need for providing new state-of-the- art postdoctoral-level training in oncology for nurse-scientists. Nurses have an unduplicated role in patient care, monitoring overall well-being, managing symptoms, and developing a personal relationship over time with the patients and families. Research results obtained by nurse-scientists who can leverage these skills and interactions to conduct meaningful research on both the biological aspects of treatment response and the totality of the patient experience can provide important insights that cannot be obtained by other health care workers. And, as in the case with the success of the field of “symptom science”, they can change the way patient care is delivered as well as improving patient outcomes. However, despite increasing recognition of the unique and valuable role of the PhD nurse-scientist, there is an acknowledged shortage of these pivotal researchers in oncology. The Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Scholar Training Program provides a unique opportunity to address this gap by providing training opportunities for nurse-scientists with PhDs (or equivalent) in advanced cancer research skills and career-building opportunities needed to develop successful research careers in oncology. Indeed, with over 54-NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the US, there is a significant need for a new generation of nurse scientists with the cutting-edge postdoctoral research training to lead essential patient-oriented research in oncology. While there are now 130+ programs leading to the PhD degree in Nursing, including one here at the University at Buffalo’s School of Nursing, training in oncology is significantly lacking and although the NIH Reporter lists 19 T32 training grants for nurse-scientists, at this point in time, few are funded through the NCI with a focus on cancer-related training. Moreover, for nurse-scientists to move up in their career, postdoctoral research training and career development and mentorship, such as afforded by the K12 mechanisms, has become the requirement for careers in either academia or clinical practice. Yet, there are no K12 programs for nurse scientists in oncology at this time in the US. Our new K12 program, led by a team of outstanding advisors and faculty, is designed to prepare a new generation of PhD educated nurse scientists in oncology, giving them front-line opportunities to conduct innovative, independent clinical and translational research and providing them with outstanding career development opportunities.