PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – CAREER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM – (CEP) The goal of the Career Enhancement Program (CEP) is to recruit promising investigators, at any level of their career, to prostate cancer research - and in particular - to develop them as exceptional translational investigators. The CEP focuses on mentoring and supporting exceptional early stage investigators to become outstanding, independent, and productive translational prostate cancer researchers; as well as supporting senior scientists who might wish to change career directions to focus on prostate cancer (PCa) research. To support these researchers’ career objectives, the CEP will leverage the existing mentorship efforts within the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC). This includes utilizing the exceptional group of mentors, all with successful track records in mentoring and career development, who are current members of the HDFCCC Prostate Cancer Program, as well as experts from across all UCSF campuses. In turn, the SPORE CEP will substantially enhance efforts already underway within the HDFCCC by adding significant funding and focusing on early-career faculty (including advanced post-doctoral fellows transitioning to a faculty position within one year) who are pursuing innovative translational research in prostate cancer. Drs. Carroll and Chan, highly qualified senior faculty and translational researchers with strong mentoring track records, will oversee the CEP as co-Directors of the program. To ensure a successful program aligned with the SPORE goals, they will be guided under the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1: Recruit and support a diverse group of exceptional PCa translational research investigators, Specific Aim 2: To provide mentorship and career development support for early career stage investigators through a formal mentoring program, and Specific Aim 3: Leverage existing UCSF resources for the career development of early-stage CEP investigators. In summary, the UCSF Prostate Cancer SPORE CEP will leverage successful extant resources, build upon a rich infrastructure, and provide substantial institutional funding to develop the careers of future leaders in translational research in prostate cancer.