# Pediatric Oncology Career Development Program at St. Jude

> **NIH NIH K12** · ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · 2024 · $34,504

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) is home to the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer
Center dedicated solely to pediatrics, giving our institution a unique role in advancing the nation’s efforts to
combat cancer. Developing the next generation of clinician scientists focused on cancer in children and
adolescents is critically important. SJCRH provides an exceptional environment for advanced training in patient-
oriented oncology research. Clinical investigation is at the center of our mission. Our founding director, Dr. Don
Pinkel, received the Lasker Award for demonstrating the power of combination chemotherapy. Today, world-
class basic and translational research is integrated with a robust clinical and clinical research enterprise. For our
patients with newly diagnosed cancer, 47% are enrolled in therapeutic trials within 15 days of diagnosis; 83% of
all enrollments are to St Jude investigator-initiated trials; 38% of interventional trials for children with cancer are
investigator-initiated and institutionally sponsored. Trainees in our hematology/oncology fellowship program
have independent research projects, high-impact publications, and grants. However, the transition to faculty
positions and loss of protected time for patient-oriented research are challenging. The Pediatric
Oncology Career Development Program at St. Jude (POCDP) proposes to bridge this gap by leveraging the
exceptional resources and training environment offered at SJCRH to provide protected time for mentored
research for two scholars (instructor-level faculty). Scholars will be mentored by a Scholarly Oversight Committee
(SOC) that will be tailored to their research interests. Each SOC will include a clinical researcher, an
epidemiologist, basic or translational scientist, a biostatistician, and an external mentor. Didactic and experiential
training will focus on three areas: (1) Translational Science and Medicine, (2) Clinical Trials Research and
Management, and (3) Professional Development. Advanced academic training includes the opportunity to obtain
a master's degree in clinical investigation. Scholars will engage in the clinical trial review process, trial design
lecture series, clinical research tutorials, and leadership development sessions. Each scholar is expected to:
design a clinical trial; present their research; and submit a career development grant. The “Visiting Scholar
Exchange Program,” will provide the opportunity for scholars to gain exposure by being an invited speaker at a
partner Cancer Center. Scholars’ progress will be monitored by their SOC and an Internal Steering Committee;
program effectiveness will be evaluated by scholar research productivity (publications, grants, clinical trials),
feedback from the scholars and the SOC, and evaluations by an External Advisory Board. At SJCRH, advanced
genomics and translational science, innovative investigator-initiated clinical trials, and the seminal discoveries of
the late effect...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10868382
- **Project number:** 1K12CA270369-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Fox
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $34,504
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10868382

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10868382, Pediatric Oncology Career Development Program at St. Jude (1K12CA270369-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10868382. Licensed CC0.

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