2022 Cancer Biology T32 Training Grant
The Cancer Biology T32 Training Program at the University of Maryland is a prestigious program designed to train predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in fundamental mechanisms of cancer biology at the molecular, cellular and organism levels. The program takes advantage of the multidisciplinary and highly interactive research environment within the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine on the University of Maryland Baltimore campus to provide outstanding training in critical areas of basic and translational cancer research. A major goal of this multi-disciplinary program is to provide trainees with a stimulating academic environment that inspires interdisciplinary cancer research, including cutting-edge technologies enabling discoveries that will lead to next-generation diagnostics, specific therapeutics and effective preventives. Trainees will gain an appreciation for productive bidirectional translation between lab and clinic by participating in research and didactic sessions with interactive teams of basic, translational and clinical researchers. Support for the program has been provided from a training grant from the NIH National Cancer Institute.
Major advances in our understanding the complexity of cancer and tumor cell biology requires a quantitative understanding of the many interconnected networks of molecules that comprise our cells and tissues, their interactions, and their regulation. A collective strength of the investigators of this training program is the integration of multiple, diverse disciplines that encompass experimental approaches and didactic knowledge from biochemistry, cell biology, epidemiology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, pharmacology, molecular biology, pathology, and physiology, in addition to the clinical oncologic sciences that are involved in human cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. The goal of Cancer Biology training program is to provide an integrative research experience with appropriate mentoring and career guidance to facilitate the inter-relatedness of basic cancer research and clinical medicine. The T32 Cancer Biology program is designed to meet this objective through appropriate didactic and research components, interactive seminars and workshops, and professional development that should provide a solid foundation for a long term and successful career in cancer research.
The T32 Cancer Biology Training Program has positions for predoctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and for residents and clinical fellows interested in cancer research.
To be considered for a position on this training grant, the trainee should identify a faculty mentor and develop a research plan in conjunction with the mentor to be submitted with the application.
The award of a trainee slot on this grant is for a 1-year period, and is renewable by competitive application for a 2nd and possibly a 3rd year. Each year involves a competitive renewal with no greater assurance of funding for ongoing applicants than for new applicants. T32 supported trainees and mentors are expected to apply for individual competitive fellowships or for other cancer research grant support during their 1st or 2nd year in the program. All predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows supported by the Cancer Biology T32 training program will be encouraged to participate in didactic components, interactive seminars and workshops, and professional development to appropriate to their background, in order to provide a solid foundation for a long term and successful career in cancer research.
The levels of funding support from the T32 grant are mandated by NIH guidelines (http://www.cancer.gov/researchandfunding/cancertraining/funding/T32). As appropriate, salary may be supplemented from other single or combined sources, such as research grants, professional fees, etc. Any such supplementary of salary (or benefits) beyond the maxima allowed by NIH guidelines for trainees is the responsibility of the trainee’s mentor, center/insititute/program, and/or department, not the T32 Training Program. Health insurance and support for travel is provided. For M.D. trainees, support from the T32 Training Program provides ‘protected time’ for immersion in the laboratory and it is required that patient care responsibilities will be limited to <10% effort (one half day per week), primarily to help complete long-term patient care experience necessary for their subspecialities and to maintain patient-care skills.
Qualifications for Trainee slots:
- All appointments to this training grant are restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
- Applicants must be committed to cancer research.
- Predoctoral applicants must be enrolled in GPILS (PhD or MD/PhD program) at the University of Maryland Baltimore. Students must have completed the required courses: GPLS 790 - Advanced Cancer Biology and GPLS 665 - Cancer Biology: From Basic Research to the Clinic.
- An applicant may apply for an exception to this requirement. However, applicants may be required to take the course during the training period.
- Postdoctoral applicants must have completed doctoral level training (e.g. PhD, MD, MD/PhD, PharmD, DDS or equivalent). Evidence of scholarly productivity in the form of publications or planned publications is highly desirable. Trainees from clinical residence and fellowship training programs (e.g. Hematology/Oncology fellowship and Surgical residency programs) are encouraged to apply.
Expectations for T32 Cancer Biology Faculty Mentors:
- T32 Cancer Biology Training Program faculty must operate their laboratories to focus on cultivating a supportive, inclusive research environment for students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, technicians, and collaborators who all together contribute to the success of the laboratory.
- Individualized development plans (IDPs) for trainees must be developed and reviewed on a regular basis to have trainees formulate their ideas and goals to allow tracking of progress, and to make adjustments to accelerate each person’s specific development.
- T32 Training faculty are expected to encourage and support fellowship applications by trainees during their period of support- i.e. NIH F-grants, K-grants and Career Development awards.
- Establishing goals with each trainee is a central feature of the T32 mentoring style, and thus together we will monitor and possibly reevaluate these goals during training to ensure that each person is able to complete their Ph.D. degrees or postdoctoral fellowships in a timely fashion with the skills, credentials, and experiences to transition into the workforce.
- T32 Training faculty will be required to complete a mentor training course every 3 years, such as the Faculty Mentoring Workshops offered at UMB by Jenn Aumiller.
- Each mentor of a funded trainee is required to co-lead one T32 Journal Club session per year.
Criteria for selection:
- Academic excellence
- Quality of the research project and training opportunity
- Relatedness of the project and training opportunity to the cancer research field
- Quality of the candidate
- Quality of the mentoring
- Evidence of the candidate’s research ability and potential
- Relatedness of the candidate’s career goals to cancer research
- Progress over the last year (for renewal applications ONLY)
Your attachments must follow these minimum requirements:
- All documents must be in PDF format unless otherwise stated (i.e., Progress Report).
- Font: Arial, Georgia, Helvetica and Palatino Linotype are all acceptable fonts.
- Text size: Must be 11 points or larger.
- Line spacing: Single-spaced
- Use paper size no larger than standard letter paper size (8 ½" x 11”).
- Provide at least one-half inch margins (½" ) - top, bottom, left, and right - for all pages. No applicant-supplied information can appear in the margins.
For additional information about the program or the application process, please contact:
Rita Stoffel, Program Specialist
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
BRB 9-002
Ph: 410-706-8358
Email: Rstoffel@som.umaryland.edu
Toni M. Antalis, Ph.D., Co-Director
Professor of Physiology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Ph: 410-706-8222
Email: tantalis@som.umaryland.edu
Curt I. Civin, M.D. Co-Director
Associate Dean for Research
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Ph. 410-706-1198/1181
Email: ccivin@som.umaryland.edu
Apply
Rstoffel@som.umaryland.edu
(410) 706-8358