Cancer Research Training Program
Overview and Objectives of the Cancer Research Training Program
The GSBS-Newark Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Training Program has a strong emphasis on exposure to cancer clinical care in addition to traditional training in basic laboratory research. The goal of the program is to immerse the trainees in a multi-disciplinary and translational research environment that is representative of cancer research and patient care today and to provide the skills required to effectively pursue a career in translational research in oncology. The NJMS-UH Cancer Center provides the building infrastructure to support translational research with outpatient care, basic science laboratories, and research support core facilities under one roof. The diverse experience of the research faculty trainers, who are supported by comprehensive research funding are key to our commitment to multi-disciplinary training. The involvement of clinicians in the “Shadowing Program” will seed and foster translational projects, and prepare our trainees for translational research careers.
The curriculum includes exposure to cancer clinical care through a unique shadowing program complemented by didactic training in clinical oncology and clinical research methodology, as well as more traditional graduate level courses that provide a strong basis in molecular approaches to cancer pathology. After students complete all required course work and have passed their Ph.D. candidacy qualification exam, students begin the shadowing program coinciding with the time that they are focused on their thesis research in the laboratory. This program begins with a course in H.I.P.A.A. compliance, followed by a three month “clinical” rotation in which the students attend weekly site specific interdisciplinary tumor conferences (head and neck, breast, gastrointestinal, neurological, sarcoma, gynecological and urological tumors). At these conference, which take place at the Cancer Center as well as other sites at the UMDNJ University Hospital, interdisciplinary teams comprised of oncologists, surgeons, clinical research nurses, community outreach specialists, pathologist and radiologists discuss patient cases while diagnostic radiological, CAT or MRI based images and histology are viewed. Following this exposure, the students are then paired with a clinician whom they will “shadow” for 1-2 hours per week in an effort to provide a “first hand” experience of the issues that oncology specialists encounter on a daily basis. Each student will do three such rotations, over a six month period of time, with each clinical rotation lasting 2 months. In this time, it is expected that the student will become very familiar and comfortable with the clinical environment and “dialect”. For the remainder of their program, attendance at a tumor conference of the student’s choice in an area that complements their thesis research is expected.
While the emphasis of this cancer research training program is on laboratory training in molecular approaches to study the mechanisms of malignancy, additional key elements are: didactic courses in basic and translational research methods, exposure to cancer clinical care through the “Shadowing Program”, mandatory training in grant writing, mandatory pre-review of fellowship and career transition award applications, trainee presentations in intramural seminar series, participation in journal clubs and extramural seminar series and monthly lunch-time meetings with invited speakers. All the trainees in this program interact with each other on a weekly basis at the mandatory Cancer Center intramural pre- and post-doctoral “work-in-progress” or WIP, seminar series ( to view the WIP schedules,click here).
For more information about the program, contact:
Gwendolyn Mahon, Ph.D.
Director, Research Program Planning and Development
NJMS-UH Cancer Center
NJMS-UH Cancer Center "Shadowing Program"
The general mission of this program is to enhance training in translational cancer research and “demystify” the clinic for Ph.D. scientists. This program provides exposure for Ph.D. pre- and post-doctoral fellows to clinical care of patients. This aspect of the cancer research training program provides a unique opportunity to foster translational projects and train Ph.D.s as scientists who are well versed in the clinical setting, and who are poised for translational research careers. This cooperative effort is essential to the future of biomedical research, is being embraced by the cancer center leadership and is being spearheaded by Dr. Charles Cathcart and Dr. Gwendolyn Mahon. Dr. Cathcart, Chair of the Oncology Commitee and Director of Radiation Oncology, and Dr. Mahon have a strong interest in bridging the gap between the clinic and the basic science laboratories. The close proximity of these two entities in the new building, as well as the expansion of programs, has provided the impetus to initiate this “Shadowing Program” for pre- and post-doctoral trainees in the program.
The schedule for the current program that will run for 6 weeks beginning on Feb 4th 2008 can be downloaded here: Shadowing Program Schedule Spring 2008
For more information, contact:
Gwendolyn Mahon, Ph.D.
Director, Research Program Planning and Development
NJMS-UH Cancer Center
