Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination

CANCER RESEARCH TRAINING AND EDUCATION COORDINATION - ABSTRACT The Cancer Research Training (CRT) Office within the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center (UHCC) coordinates research education, training activities, and educational opportunities for UHCC staff and trainees. CRT offers cancer research education throughout the catchment area, which includes high school, undergraduate, graduate, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, clinicians, and healthcare professionals. During the last five years, CRT has more than tripled its annual funding base through several institutional training grants. More than 290 trainees were mentored in cancer biology, experimental therapeutics, biostatistics/bioinformatics, nutrition, epidemiology, behavioral and community interventions. CRT also supports faculty, staff, and trainee travel to scientific meetings, workshops, and related activities. Our overall goal is to strengthen UHCC as the central cancer research education hub within Hawai‘i and the Pacific and to provide innovative training and mentorship experiences at all career levels. This is done in close collaboration with the two Programs, Cancer Biology (CB) and Population Sciences in the Pacific (PSP), the Shared Resources, the Clinical Trials Office (CTO), and the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Office. In service of this goal, we propose the following specific aims: Aim 1. Develop and implement innovative education initiatives to train cancer researchers from various backgrounds at all career stages in the catchment area of UHCC. Aim 2. Increase skills in cancer research through programs appropriate to different career levels, from introductory curricula for high school and undergraduate students, research experiences for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, programs for medical and clinical trainees, to mentoring for junior faculty. Aim 3. Evaluate cancer research training activities through long-term tracking of participants using alumni surveys and data collection from relevant databases to assess educational and career outcomes. From high school to junior faculty, CRT offers opportunities to develop careers in cancer research and on distinctive opportunities in the Pacific region. By engaging and inspiring cancer professionals, the CRT will improve the quality of cancer research in the catchment area. All activities are designed to achieve CRT Office’s vision to educate and mentor the next generation of scientists and clinicians who will reduce the cancer burden in Hawai‘i and the Pacific through innovative basic, behavioral, clinical, translational, and population sciences related research.