Paul Calabresis Career Development Award For Clinical Oncology

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks to support and develop junior clinical investigators in therapeutic cancer research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, through a coordinated program of mentoring, didactic course work, collegial interdisciplinary collaboration, and research support. The leadership for this program is integrated with the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC) and Einstein's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), and based on the major commitment of the Institution to the training and mentoring of young clinical investigators. This Paul Calabresi Scholars Program will select highly qualified clinical and translational investigators, including both MDs and PhDs, each developing their careers in patient-oriented clinical and translational research in cancer therapeutics. Didactic course work will be provided through the K30 and other programs, as needed, with an individualized course of instruction determined for each Scholar. Program oversight will be provided by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Roman Perez-Soler, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Research at the AECC. They will be assisted by an Advisory Committee of leaders of Einstein's cancer research programs, who will select Scholars and monitor each Scholar's progress, and a group of External Advisors formed by PI's of Calabresi Grants at other institutions. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is ideally suited to implement this program. With its strong foundation in NIH supported investigation, it has invested heavily in building its clinical and translational research activities in cancer under the leadership of the AECC Director, Dr. David Goldman. The PI of this KI2 proposal will assist Dr. Goldman in this mission. Einstein's new Dean, Dr. Allen Spiegel, is deeply committed to clinical and translational investigation;as underscored by a comprehensive new Strategic Research Plan and the recent completion of a new research facility, the Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine. Einstein has an outstanding base of clinical and research training programs in cancer, which will provide a pool of highly qualified candidates for this program. Our primary clinical affiliate, Montefiore Medical Center, provides high quality care to a large, traditionally underserved population in the Bronx, a county of over 1.3 million residents, over 80% of whom are members of ethnic/racial underserved minorities. Given its unique combination of clinical and scientific resources, population diversity, research funding, talented trainees, experienced mentors, teaching programs, research facilities, and institutional commitment, Einstein is poised to succeed in this K12 effort.