Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology Workshop

The goal of this workshop is to provide a substantive overview of keys areas in molecular biology and translational cancer research for the aspiring physician-scientist. The organizers are primarily seeking students who are motivated to build a career in translational cancer research, i.e., the exciting research front at the interface between basic research and clinical investigations. Ideal candidates are physicians in the early stages of laboratory training or who have begun their fellowships in any clinical oncology subspecialty with the intent of an academic career as a physician-scientist.

This Workshop will contribute to the training of physician-scientists, a cohort that truly spans from bench to bedside. This training is accomplished through lectures from the top investigators in the field of translational cancer research, who not only illustrate the scientific process through their own research, but provide personal examples of their career paths and advice to trainees. Lectures are meant to demonstrate how to design and implement successful scientific experiments. Additionally, trainees partake in hands-on laboratories involving useful techniques for an academic research career, such as gene expression analysis, proteomics, bioinformatics, and analysis of microarrays. Mentoring, career development, guidance in grant writing, opportunities to network, discuss scientific literature, and “office hours” for one-on-one meetings with faculty members are also featured to round out this unique educational experience. This program is supported in part by a generous grant from the National Cancer Institute.