Contact:
Dr. Lester S. Gorelic
Cancer Training Branch
Centers, Training and Resources Program
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 700 MSC 8346
Bethesda, MD 20892-8346
Rockville, MD 20852 (for courier/express service)
Telephone: (301) 496-8580
FAX: (301) 402-4472
E-mail: gorelicl@mail.nih.gov
Objective of Project:
This PAR replaces the NCI "Institutional Clinical Oncology Research Career Development (K12) Program" (PAR-CA-030-083) with the "Paul Calabresi Award for Clinical Oncology (K12)" or PCACO. The purpose of the PCACO is to increase the number of medical doctors (M.D.'s, D.O.'s), doctorally-degreed nurses and basic scientists (P.h.D.'s, D.V.M.'s or equivalent) who are highly motivated and trained to: 1) perform clinical oncology therapeutic research that develops and tests scientific hypotheses based on fundamental and clinical research findings; 2) design and test hypothesis-based clinical therapeutic protocols and adjunct biological analyses and for clinician candidates administer all phases (i.e., pilot/Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III) of cancer therapeutic clinical trials, and (3) conduct cancer therapeutic research in team research settings in which basic and clinical scientists collaborate and interact to expedite the translation of basic research discoveries into patient-oriented therapeutic cancer research. The PCACO is not intended to train laboratory-based scientists whose research will emphasize the use of animal or other model systems.
Description of Project:
Awards for up to $800,000 annually (clinician candidates only) or up to $1,100,000 annually (clinician and basic scientists candidates, with the ratio of clinician basic science candidates being greater than or equal to two) in direct costs are made to institutions for up to 5 years, and are renewable. Appointments of candidates to the Program should be for a minimum of 2 years. As long as a K12 has been renewed, individual clinician candidates can be supported for up to 7 years. The K12 Program must involve staff and clinical candidates representing at least two clinical oncology disciplines. The Program should include didactic, clinical research, and basic research core components. All candidates graduating from the Program must complete core didactic, clinical, and basic research core requirements either directly or through combination with their past training experience. The K12 Program must use an Advisory Committee to provide an oversight function and annual evaluation of the Program as a whole. Clinician candidates must currently be physicians holding the M.D. or D.O. degrees or nurses with a Ph.D. degree; and must have completed the necessary clinical training (i.e., completed residency and are board eligible) to engage in clinical oncology research. Basic science candidates must have doctoral-level degrees (e.g., Ph.D., D.V.M.) or the equivalent, a minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral research training, and a total basic research experience that is clearly preparatory (e.g., experience with animal models or preclinical research) for devoting a career to human therapeutic cancer research. Candidates must be able to spend a minimum of 75 percent effort conducting research and research career development which includes all relevant didactic activities during the period of the award. The Program provides up to $75,000 annually for salary and up to $25,000 annually for research-related costs for each trainee. The Program also provides up to 10 percent of the Principal Investigator/Program Leader's salary plus fringe benefits, some partial salary plus fringe benefits for a dedicated administrator, and up to $5,000 total per annum for each mentor may be derived from this grant, as long as these costs are approved by peer reviewers. Minimal costs can be allocated for advertising and recruitment in order to attract the best candidates nationally. .