Cancer Prevention & Control
Each year, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers a two-part summer curriculum program in cancer prevention and control: 1.) Principles and Practice of Cancer Prevention and Control Course (four weeks) and 2.) Molecular Prevention Course (one week). The overall objective of the Principles and Practice of Cancer Prevention and Control Course is to provide specialized instruction in the principles and practice of cancer prevention and control. The course focuses on the concepts, methods, issues, and applications related to this field. Participants have the opportunity to gain a broad-based perspective of these subjects including resources, data, methods, and theories. Scientists develop lifetime learning skills including critical appraisal of the literature and bibliographic search concepts and techniqus.
The overall objective of the Molecular Prevention Course is to provide specialized instruction in the principles of molecular biology as applied in the field of cancer prevention. The course focuses on the concepts and methods, issues, and applications of molecular biology in cancer prevention efforts and genetics of cancer. Participants have an opportunity to gain a broad-based perspective of these subject areas, including basic laboratory methodology and theory of how molecular techniques are applied to molecular epidemiology, bionutrition, chemoprevention, biomarkers, and translational research. Life-long learning skills include critical appraisal of molecular approaches, methodologies, and theory used in the field of cancer prevention.
The faculty for these courses consists of approximately 85 experts from NCI, NIH, and academic institutions. Over the past 5 years, the courses have drawn approximately 140 international participants from countries including Bolivia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Lithuania, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Further information is available at http://www3.cancer.gov/prevention/pob/courses.
NCI has also partnered with the International Atomic Energy Agency's Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) to build cancer control capacity in resource-limited countries. NCI offers scientists and health care professionals from PACT target countries the opportunity to participate at no cost in NCI's summer curriculum program by awarding scholarships for professionals from the six PACT Model Demonstration Sites (PMDS) - Albania, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Yemen. The Office of International Affairs (OIA) serves as the NCI liaison with PACT.
For more information about PACT initiatives visit:
http://cancer.iaea.org/.
