Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination

Training the next generation of cancer researchers and leaders is a core mission of Yale Cancer Center (YCC). YCC has a long track record of providing infrastructure and funding for enhancing trainee research and advancing the careers of trainees and faculty across all YCC disciplines, including basic, translational, clinical and population sciences. YCC-supported education efforts have contributed to successful careers of trainees, from students through senior faculty. The Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) Council, which supports and advises CRTEC leadership includes members from all six YCC research programs, ensuring broad, cross-disciplinary input and training and supporting the major goal of CRTEC, to bolster and coordinate training activities across disciplines providing cancer-specific training while leveraging the vast resources of Yale University and Yale School of Medicine (YSM). The CRTEC Council reviews classes and other training vehicles in the various training programs and integrates trainees at all levels into programmatic activities via their association with one of the six YCC Research Programs. Specific CRTEC activities include building training capacity; monitoring success; coordinating existing YCC education activities to maximize synergy and avoid redundancy; and providing additional opportunities by sponsoring seminars, workshops, and travel to scientific meetings; providing mentoring on proposal and career development; and monitoring metrics for success. YCC and YSM have multiple cancer-specific and cancer-related training grants for high school, college, pre- and postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty. Currently, YCC has 10 cancer-specific institutional training grants supporting trainees working with YCC Mentors. In addition, there are multiple active individual F and K awards from the NCI. The CRTEC Council reviews YSM training programs annually and identifies opportunities to integrate cancer-specific training into YSM activities and provide a cancer focus. An important goal is integration of training and education across disciplines: basic, preclinical, and clinical science, epidemiology, and outcomes. These elements are very strong individually and benefit from increased integration that encompasses nursing, medical, and graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, residents, fellows, and faculty in cancer-related disciplines. Our Aims cover the spectrum of trainees from school-age through post-baccalaureate and master-level trainees (Aim 1), pre- and post-doctoral trainees (Aim 2) and junior to mid-career faculty (Aim 3). We incorporate iterative evaluation processes to improve our programs and monitor training outcomes.