# Surgical Oncology Research Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $512,949

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Cancer remains one of the most common causes of death in the United States, second only to
cardiovascular disease. Great need exists for continued research to prevent cancer and improve outcomes.
Surgeon-scientists are uniquely positioned to translate research findings associated with surgical diseases to
the bedside and operating room. Despite their unique expertise and effectiveness in research, the role of the
surgeon-scientist has historically been threatened for the last few decades. Surgeon-scientists are submitting
fewer career development awards and have lower success rates in obtaining NIH funding. There has been
only small growth in the percentage of surgeons funded by NIH in the past 10 years, but surgical oncologists
represent the largest group of surgeon subspecialists receiving NIH grants. It is critical that we continue to
expand this pool of investigators and develop surgeon-scientists in the field of oncology.
 The overall program goal of the Surgical Oncology Research Training Program at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is to provide surgical residents who are strongly motivated toward a career in
surgical oncology with a comprehensive, mentored research and training experience that prepares them for
successful careers as surgeon-scientists. The program provides surgeon-scientists who intend to enter a
career in academic surgery, particularly in surgical oncology, with the opportunity for basic, translational, and
health services research training in a mentored, multidisciplinary, collaborative environment. The program
leverages the extensive resources of the UAB Department of Surgery, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer
Center (CCC), the UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS),
the Office of Postdoctoral Education (OPE), and an abundance of health services and disparities research
programs and centers. The program includes a pool of outstanding extramurally funded trainers from a variety
of cancer-related disciplines. Seven trainees have completed the program; 1 has obtained a faculty position
with NCI funding, and 6 are continuing their clinical training in environments that will facilitate their continued
success in developing independent academic careers. An additional 4 are currently appointed. Several have
obtained additional degrees to advance their scientific knowledge, and several have been successful in
obtaining additional funding to support their fellowship training or further career development. While this is a
new program, it has already been successful in developing its first NIH-funded surgeon-scientist. It has
also attracted a diverse group of trainees, including 27% African American and 82% female. Trainees
have demonstrated excellent productivity as evidenced by publications and national presentations.
These early markers of success are clear indicators of the program’s future ability to produce
extramurally funded surgeon-scientists in t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10767059
- **Project number:** 2T32CA229102-06A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** HERBERT CHEN
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $512,949
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2018-07-16 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10767059

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10767059, Surgical Oncology Research Training Program (2T32CA229102-06A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10767059. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*