Selection of Participants
The application deadline is Monday, May 13, 2013. The Program Committee will review and accept applications from predoctoral students (who will be in their fourth year or later at the time of this workshop) and postdoctoral fellows, early-career scientists (who received their Ph.D. on or after May 2008) and a limited number of senior scientists beyond the postdoctoral level (from academia or industry) who are in transition to translational research. The committee will select a group of 50 individuals and base its decisions on materials submitted by the applicant and by the applicant’s sponsor (mentor, program supervisor or department head). These documents will be evaluated both for the information they supply about the candidate and the assurances they provide for institutional support for transitioning into a career in translational research. Note that selection of workshop applicants will be conducted on a competitive basis as not all applicants can be accepted each year due to limited space. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to reapply the following year. Applicants will be notified of their status in mid- to late-July.
Program Format
The scientific program for the workshop utilizes five different educational formats to effectively deliver the principles of translational cancer research.
- Lectures and panel discussions on specific topics will be presented by experts representing different aspects of translational cancer research. These talks will provide participants with an essential overview of this increasingly important field and the basic principles of cancer therapeutic development, working with clinical collaborators and team science. Lectures will be presented by scientists who have made some of the most significant recent advances in translational research. They will share their practical insights and perspectives on the importance of cross-disciplinary collaborations and relationship building. The majority of lectures will be followed by a panel discussion to explore the topic in greater depth.
- Off-site interactive observational visits will furnish the participants with first-hand exposure to key aspects of translational and clinical research. Visits to diagnostic radiology and pathology laboratories will provide insights into the challenges of biomarkers and tissue diagnostics. Two days of visits to outpatient cancer clinics, with opportunities for dialogue with cancer patients and their physicians, will provide the participants with a foundation in cancer care and personalized medicine. Participants will also observe a live Institutional Review Board (IRB) session in order to gain insights into issues of protection of human subjects that are at the heart of translational research.
- Faculty Office Hours/One-on-Ones in the afternoons provide an opportunity for participants to meet with individual faculty members and receive personalized feedback regarding career development in translational research, research-related questions and any other issues participants wish to discuss.
- Small group discussion sessions in the evenings are designed to provide an opportunity for informal, in-depth discussion on the lectures and off-site visits of the day, as well as the chance to meet with clinicians and their cancer patients to learn more about the clinical environment. Small group sessions will be limited in size to maximize dialogue and facilitate the educational experience.
- Group meals throughout the workshop – breakfast, lunch and dinner on most days – are designed to promote information exchange and networking among participants and between participants and faculty members.
These five educational formats foster the indispensable face-to-face contact and interactions that are so critically important to surmounting barriers and building relationships and collaborations that will last long beyond the duration of the workshop.
Accepted Early-Career Participants
Early-career participants (predoctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career scientists) will be required to pay a minimal registration fee of $325. This will cover registration and complimentary shared hotel accommodations (two participants per room) in Boston, Mass. at the Omni Parker House Hotel for the nights of the workshop, as well as offset the costs of workshop materials and certain group meals. Participants will be required to pay for their own travel to and from Boston, Mass.
Senior Scientists in Career Transition
The committee will also admit a limited number of senior scientists beyond the postdoctoral level who are transitioning to translational research. Applicants are invited from academia and industry. Accepted academic participants will be required to pay a registration fee of $575 for the workshop; those from industry will pay a registration fee of $1,000. All senior scientists receive complimentary meals offered as part of the workshop.
Workshop Preparation
Those accepted for the workshop will be provided with some brief background readings that they should review before arrival at the workshop and will be guided in certifications to be completed prior to participation in clinical events.
Workshop Materials
Faculty members will contribute material to the electronic workshop syllabus to be distributed to all participants. For every lecture, the syllabus will contain the instructional objectives for the presentation, an outline of the topics to be covered and a research bibliography of relevant articles and texts.
Workshop Site
The majority of workshop sessions and meals will take place at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston, Mass. Off-site observational visits will take place at a variety of locations in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Cancer Center complex in Boston. Additionally, the city of Boston offers many educational, sight-seeing, culinary and cultural activities within a short distance of the hotel.
Transportation from the Airport
All accepted participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements, including arrangements for transportation from the train, bus or airport to the hotel. Local travel arrangement information will be provided to all accepted applicants.
Workshop Housing – Sharing Accommodations
All early-career participants must reside at the Omni Parker House Hotel for the duration of the workshop and participate in all group meals. They will receive the following complimentary accommodations: a hotel room to be shared with one other workshop participant for the five nights of the workshop. Early-career participants who request other accommodations at the hotel will be credited only for the amount that AACR would have been charged for the complimentary accommodations offered as part of the package.
Senior scientists are urged to reside at the Omni Parker House Hotel, but are not required to do so. The workshop rate for single/double occupancy is available to all senior scientists. Senior scientists will have the option of sharing hotel rooms with other participants depending upon availability.