# Workshop on Methods in Supportive Oncology Research

> **NIH NIH R25** · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · 2021 · $57,059

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Despite dramatic advances in the understanding of cancer and its treatment, the majority of individuals
with cancer still suffer from fatigue, pain, anxiety, insomnia, depressive symptoms, and poor appetite. These
debilitating symptoms not only affect quality of life, but also impact healthcare utilization, adherence to cancer
treatment, and possibly even survival. Supportive oncology (palliative care, symptom management,
psychosocial oncology, and survivorship) aims to address these concerns. However, the evidence base for
supportive oncology interventions is still emerging. Additional research is necessary to guide clinical care and
the IOM identified a critical shortage of trained investigators in supportive oncology to meet this need.
 Responding to national calls to address this gap, we propose to renew our highly successful Cancer
Research Education Grant to continue to train new investigators in supportive oncology research. In the last
four years, we trained 143 early-career investigators through an annual intensive workshop on research
methods in supportive oncology. Participants significantly gained research knowledge and skills, 100% had
completed research protocols at the end of the workshop, and over 80% later implemented these protocols at
their home institutions. In the three years after the workshop, participants from the first class in 2015 obtained
over $21.6 million in research funding (a return of $72 for every dollar of direct costs of the grant that year) and
published 21 papers with new collaborators from their workshop class. Demand to participate remains high.
 Approach and setting: Over five years, we propose to train five classes of early-stage researchers from
diverse disciplines (physicians, nurses, psychologists, and social workers) by continuing an annual intensive
six-day workshop in Boston with the resources of two Harvard institutions: Massachusetts General Hospital
(MGH) and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). Our institutional commitment is substantial, including the
Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care assuming the management of workshop logistics. The
primary goal of the workshop is to train early-stage investigators in essential research methods in supportive
oncology, which will enable them to write scientifically rigorous study protocols and implement these protocols
across the US. Each day of the workshop, participants attend didactic sessions on a broad range of relevant
methods and meet in small writing groups led by R01-funded supportive oncology investigators. With daily
feedback and mentorship, participants write a complete research protocol over the six days.
 Faculty: We have assembled an outstanding team of experts in supportive oncology (established
independent researchers, grant reviewers, and journal editors) to plan, produce, and evaluate the workshop.
As leaders of highly-productive and well-known supportive oncology programs at DFCI and MGH, the PIs (Drs.
P...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10250461
- **Project number:** 5R25CA181000-08
- **Recipient organization:** DANA-FARBER CANCER INST
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM F PIRL
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $57,059
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-07-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10250461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10250461, Workshop on Methods in Supportive Oncology Research (5R25CA181000-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10250461. Licensed CC0.

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