Grant bolsters cancer research
The National Cancer Institute has renewed a $4.4 million, five-year grant to fund training for senior fellows and junior faculty for careers in cancer-oriented research.
The goal of the Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program is to train clinician scientists who can design and implement clinical oncology trials and lead translational research projects.
The education and training grants are open to scientists from any Vanderbilt division or department as long as the trainee and mentor are focused on clinical oncology research that fulfills the definition of patient-oriented investigations.
Over the past decade, 22 individuals have received support funds from this grant program and 16 of these clinician scientists remain on our faculty,” said Kenneth Hande, M.D., professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and former director of the fellowship program. “When we are recruiting junior faculty members and researchers, the availability of this award for career development is a nice addition to our recruitment efforts.”
The grant provides up to $100,000 per year in salary support and funds for tuition to the Vanderbilt Master of Clinical Investigation Program, Master of Public Health Program or the Certificate Program in Molecular Medicine.
The grant also offers $2,000 per year for travel to scientific meetings and approximately $15,000 in research supplies.
In the past, the training program only accepted candidates with medical degrees, but this year, in addition to three M.D.s there is one slot reserved for a post-doctoral Ph.D. candidate. All trainees will be required to spend a minimum of two years in training.
The deadline to apply for the grant is Feb. 1 and awards will be announced in April.
For more information or to apply for the grant support, contact Kenneth.hande@vander-bilt.edu or call 322-4967.