Career Enhancement Program

By its very nature, leiomyosarcoma (LMS) demands a multi-disciplinary approach to care and research. LMS are highly aggressive tumors, which frequently present at high stage, and require the coordinated and integrated care of surgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists. In addition, the varied nature of the anatomic sites of presentation, the differential behavior, and molecular characteristics of soft tissue and uterine LMS, and genotypic and phenotypic overlap with other pleomorphic sarcomas demands the involvement of anatomic and molecular pathologists. This SPORE will be uniquely poised to provide career development opportunities and mentorship for young investigators in all of these disciplines. In particular, the SPORE CEP will recruit and promote promising young researchers to pursue careers in translational studies of LMS or genetic predisposition for sarcoma/LMS. The SPORE mechanism will provide these CEP awardees with rich opportunities to interact with and learn from basic, translational, and clinical sarcoma researchers from key disciplines. Elizabeth G. Demicco MD, PhD (University of Toronto), and Jonathan A. Fletcher MD (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) will serve as co-directors for the SPORE CEP committee. The CEP committee will assist the co-directors in ensuring that the CEP meets its goals and that awardees are progressing in their career development and being adequately mentored. The committee represents the multi-disciplinary nature of translational sarcoma research, with particular expertise in sarcoma biology, target discovery and validations, genomics, experimental therapeutics, biostatistics, surgery, radiation medicine, biomarkers, and pathology. The committee members are academic leaders at the SPORE member institutions with experience in LMS. Providing research support and protected time for young investigators is essential in translational research, particularly in sarcoma research, where funding mechanisms are few. The SPORE CEP will facilitate transition of awardees to independent investigator status and will prioritize funding early career scientists who seek to advance quality of life through research on disease mechanisms. Specific aims that assist the SPORE CEP in achieving these goals include: 1. Identifying and providing exceptional science and career mentorship to young sarcoma researchers; 2. Enforcing adequate protected time for clinically-oriented investigators to facilitate their development into independent translational researchers; 3. Recruiting investigators from varied clinical and scientific backgrounds into translational LMS research; and 4. Promoting intersections and collaborations between early-career investigators by creating opportunities to participate in scientific retreats.