Cancer remains one of the most serious health problems for the US population at the beginning of the 21st century. It is estimated that close to 1.4 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2006, and over one half million persons will die as a consequence. The need for this interdisciplinary training program in cancer epidemiology and biostatistics has never been greater, as there has been a virtual explosion of new knowledge regarding the biological mechanisms underlying the development of cancer, particularly at the molecular level and in regard to the role of genetic determinants. The purpose of our training program is to provide skills in epidemiology and biostatistics that will enable the trainee to address this problem through the conduct of high quality cancer research. The program is housed in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine of the University of Washington. All of the predoctoral trainees and many of the postdoctoral trainees have been enrolled in the graduate programs that these departments offer. Much of the training also takes place at our affiliated institution, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The Training Grant has been in operation now for 30 years. Of the approximately 150 trainees that have gone through the program, most have had backgrounds in the health professions, science, and/or mathematics. On the whole, our program's record has been a very good one: 1. With very few exceptions, all positions on the training grant have been filled;2. The overwhelming majority of the trainees who began the program have completed it;3. Nearly all trainees who completed the program have pursued careers in science or public health;and 4. A large quantity of noteworthy cancer research has been produced by prior trainees, both while they were in the training program and afterwards. Significant changes in this revised application include a more specific program of study for trainees and additional minority recruitment activities specific to the training grant.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter