TRIUMPH (Translational Research In Multidisciplinary Program) Post-doctoral Fellowship
TRIUMPH (Translational Research In Multidisciplinary Program) Post-doctoral Fellowship
The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is a post-doctoral program providing unique training in clinical and translational research. The immediate goal of our program is to recruit talented, productive, well-trained PhDs and train them through didactic course work as well as clinical rotations and a unique mentorship to pursue clinical and/or translational research. A long-term goal of this program is to produce scientists who can be paired with suitable physician scientists to co-PI a research laboratory.
This is a three-year training program. First year postdoctoral fellows participate in a series of didactic clinical course work offered at the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School (GSBS), MD Anderson Cancer Center, or the UTHealth McGovern School of Medicine and strategically matched clinical rotations, while pursuing research in a basic or translational research laboratory. Second and third year fellows are co-mentored by a basic science/translational scientist mentor and a physician/clinical scientist mentor on clinical/translational research projects. The TRIUMPH postdoc will obtain a certificate upon successful completion of the program. The expectation for our post-docs is that by the end of their 3-year training, they will have first authored at least 2 papers in high impact journals. Our multidisciplinary training program will award a certificate upon completion.
Please visit our website for additional information: http://www.mdanderson.org/CPRITTRIUMPH
Eligibility Requirements
• Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. from a top graduate school program in any of the life sciences
• Publications in top tier journals (must have at least 2 first authored papers)
• Dedication to pursue translational cancer research
• Applicants do not need to be US Citizens or permanent residents. If the applicant has a visa, it must be valid for the duration of the fellowship
Applications should include:
• Curriculum Vitae
• PDF reprints of all first authored publications
• Three letters of recommendation (letters should be written on official letterhead and contain original signatures. They should be submitted by email from the referee’s institutional/organizational email account to CPRITMDACCTraining@mdanderson.org).
• A two-page essay describing your goals and dedication toward a career in clinical and translational cancer research (single-spaced, 12 pt Arial or Times New Roman font)
Applications may be submitted to CPRITMDACCTraining@mdanderson.org. Candidates will be reviewed and invited for interviews at quarterly review cycles (March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018, September 30, 2018, and December 31, 2018). Approximately 4-5 positions will be filled annually. We encourage applicants to apply to earlier cycles to improve their chances of being selected for this award.
Required Courses
• Human Protocol Research – an integrated, multidisciplinary course designed to provide students the necessary tools to devise, execute, and understand exemplary protocol research involving humans in clinical trial.
• Human Pathobiology – A comprehensive introduction to human health and disease at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and system levels for each organ system. Lectures will highlight key elements routinely covered in medical school such as histology, anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology with emphasis on understanding mechanisms of cell injury and death, inflammation and repair, immunopathology, vascular disturbances, and carcinogenesis.
• Translational Cancer Research – course designed to teach the current understanding of human cancer biology that is driving interest in targeted therapy and personalized management for prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer.
• Basic and Translational Cancer Biology – course to impart knowledge of critical aspects in human cancer biology for understanding of disease development, multi-dimensional molecular signatures, diagnostics, and therapeutics. It will disseminate fundamental knowledge and current progress on basic, translational, and clinical research.
• Translational Science: Bedside to Bench and Back – an integrated, multidisciplinary course designed to provide students the necessary tools to devise, fund, implement, and publish exemplary research involving patients or materials obtained from human source.
• Design and Management of Clinical Trials – course designed to teach the basic research concepts and principles that underlie the design and actual day-to-day conduct of clinical trials using examples primarily from cancer trials. Additionally, post-docs will be required to complete 2 of the 3 practicums (24 hours each) covering topics in Regulatory and Ethical Concepts in Human Subjects Research, topics in Compliance and Auditing of Responsible Conduct of Research, and/or topics in Data Management in Cancer Clinical Trials.
Seminar Requirements
• Fellows must attend weekly Friday noon Advances in Oncology Institutional Grand Rounds Seminars
• Fellows must attend monthly CPRIT journal club meetings
Clinical Rotation Requirements
• Surgical Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Pathology
• Medical Oncology
• Investigational Cancer Therapeutics
Research Requirements
Postdocs will be assigned to a basic/translational laboratory upon being accepted to the program. During the first year, they will spend 50% of their time in the laboratory and the other 50% taking required didactic coursework, attending Institutional Grand Round Seminar Series, and completing clinical rotations. At the end of their first year, they will be paired with a senior physician scientist as their clinical mentor, who, together with the basic science/translational science mentor, will design a translational research project. A mentoring committee composed of the postdoc’s basic research mentor, the TRIUMPH program director, and other research mentors and clinicians will be assembled for each fellow. During the second year, postdocs will spend about 80% of their time in research and 20% in clinical rotations and completing any remaining coursework. The third year, fellows will focus primarily on laboratory research.
Please contact Dr. Kari Savannah, Program Manager (ksavannah@mdanderson.org) or Dr. Khandan Keyomarsi, Program Director (kkeyomar@mdanderson.org) if you have any questions.