Career Enhancement Program

Project Summary/Abstract The Career Enhancement Program (CEP) will support early career lung cancer researchers, who have research concepts focused on the biology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer. The purpose of the CEP is to help develop the careers of young investigators committed to lung cancer, and our goal is that these funds will support the awardees’ efforts to become independent researchers. Career enhancement of young faculty members is vital to the success and continued progress of translational research programs, and our SPORE team and wider Lung Cancer Program have a broad roster of available, willing and accomplished mentors to meet the challenges of training translational researchers. The CEP is focused on young investigators at a junior faculty level, typically within 3 years of faculty appointment. Individuals in a post-doctoral fellowship program may apply if their Department Chair will guarantee a faculty appointment should the applicant receive a CEP award. Applicants need to have a nominating letter from a faculty mentor, which must detail the mentoring plan and a mentoring committee with lung cancer expertise represented. The annual Request for Applications will be announced by e-mail, posted throughout the DF/HCC institutions via message boards and circulated widely through the help of our faculty and our Governance Committee. The announcement will describe the purpose of the award, provide instructions for applicants, and detail the review criteria. The requirements for mentors, review criteria and steps to monitor progress are described in this section.