# Duke Research Training Program in Surgical Oncology

> **NIH NIH T32** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $181,243

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This training grant application seeks funding for the Duke Research Training Program in Surgical Oncology
in the Duke University Department of Surgery. The new submission includes a structural reorganization of our
long-running program in order to be more relevant and responsive to the evolving training needs of surgical
scientists in surgical oncology. The program has been designed to provide future surgeon-scientists with the
research methods and skills necessary to pursue independently funded academic careers that will improve the
health and outcomes of patients with premalignant or malignant conditions, with a focus on local/regional
disease. The training program will combine the substantial academic rigor of the Duke University School of
Medicine with the Duke Department of Surgery's long-standing commitment to training the next generation of
surgical researchers. The program will be led by a team of surgeon-scientists with a history of funded research
and with expertise in surgical oncology. Supplemented by non-surgeon mentors with expertise in basic,
translational, and clinical research, this multidisciplinary team spans the breadth of surgical oncology research
to address research of local/regional disease: Tumor Invasion and Metastasis, Biomarkers of Prognosis and
Treatment Selection and Regional Cancer Immunotherapy. The program will support 4 research fellows each
year (2 each year for 2 years); program participants will consist of surgical residents recruited from within and
outside of the Duke Surgical Residency Program. Trainees will select two mentors: a primary non-clinician
scientific mentor from a highly experienced and diverse group of 14 researchers who will direct their two-year
research fellowship and a senior tenured clinical surgical oncologist who will guide their career throughout
residency training to their initial academic faculty appointment. Lead by their mentors, the trainees will each
develop and execute a research project, which will be the basis of a future career development or independent
research award application. A robust research infrastructure and substantial resources provided both by the
Department of Surgery and the Duke Cancer Institute will provide 100% of the necessary support for the trainees,
thus facilitating their conduct and publication of original investigations without obligations for clinical service.
Specific instruction in the technical aspects of surgical oncology investigation will be provided, as will mentorship
in scientific writing, publication, ethics, and clinical time management. The unifying objective of the program will
be to train the future national leaders in academic surgical oncology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10847028
- **Project number:** 1T32CA288316-01
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter J Allen
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $181,243
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10847028

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10847028, Duke Research Training Program in Surgical Oncology (1T32CA288316-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10847028. Licensed CC0.

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