Surgical Oncology Research Training Grant

The Surgical Oncology T32 research training program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is designed to provide qualified trainees with 2-year training in laboratory-based, translational, or clinical research. Our T32 supports 6 postdoctoral (MD or MD/PhD) trainees per year, most of whom enter this program after 2 to 3 years of surgical residency training. This renewal application requests funding for years 36 to 40 to continue to provide 2 years of full-time research training to trainees interested in a career as independent surgeon–scientists with a focus on cancer. Our Surgical Oncology T32 program focuses on 3 oncology research themes that represent the full spectrum of cancer care: 1) Cancer Diagnostics, Genetics, & Tumor Microenvironment; 2) Cancer Immunology; and 3) Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship. This thematic organization enables us to provide training in all aspects of surgical oncology research, ranging from basic science to cancer treatment outcomes and epidemiology. The T32 Program Faculty members have research programs that emphasize or involve translational research focusing on one of these 3 themes. They have primary appointments in Surgery, Neurosurgery, Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Medical Physics, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Cancer Biology & Genetics, Computational & Systems Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, and Molecular Pharmacology. Our program curriculum combines mentored research training tailored to the research interest of the trainee with required and elective courses to provide an intensive research experience in (1) hypothesis formulation, (2) experimental design, (3) data analysis, (4) laboratory/project management, (5) oral and written presentation, and (6) grant writing and other career development skills. The overall training objective is to provide each T32 trainee with a broad perspective of the range of approaches, concepts, and opportunities in cancer research and prepare the next generation of surgeon–scientists for their chosen career path in oncology in academic, government, non-profit, industrial, or other sectors. Since its inception in 1984, the Surgical Oncology T32 has trained 102 surgeon–scientists, most of whom have transitioned to successful careers in academic surgical oncology.