PROJECT SUMMARY The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center proposes to renew its T32 Training Program in Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, supporting mentorship of physician scientists (MDs and MD/PhDs) for careers in cancer research. With a 25-year history, the program enrols trainees who have completed clinical fellowships in any cancer-related discipline, and supports their training in laboratory-based or clinical cancer research. The program is poised at the intersection of basic, translational and clinical cancer research, and aims to prepare the next generation of physician scientists for academic careers in oncology, tuned to the latest advances in basic cancer research and the rapid evolution of novel cancer therapies. Program Directors (PD) are Dr. Daniel Haber, an accomplished laboratory-based cancer genetics investigator and Dr. Lecia Sequist, a leading clinical researcher in thoracic oncology. Together, they oversee all administrative aspects of the program, with Dr. Haber overseeing the mentoring of lab-based trainees and Dr. Sequist overseeing the mentoring of clinical research trainees. An Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) participates in the competitive selection of trainees and the selection of faculty mentors; an External Advisory Board (EAB) convenes annually to evaluate the strategic direction of the program. Mentors are drawn from multiple disciplines and departments, primarily from MGH, but also from neighboring MIT and other Harvard institutions. Laboratory mentors span disciplines, including molecular cancer biology, cancer immunology, computational biology, and single cell systems biology, while clinical research mentors have expertise in first-in-human/phase 1 clinical trials, and molecular pathology/diagnostics. Trainees are selected from highly competitive clinical programs, including the combined Dana Farber/Mass General Brigham medical oncology fellowship program. The PDs and IAC have a strong commitment to enhancing diversity among the pool of applicants and the roster of mentors. In addition to facilitating the selection of an appropriate research mentor, the T32 program provides both mandatory and optional courses, as well as a broad range of educational experiences. Mandatory didactic courses include biostatistics/computational biology and the ethical conduct of research. In addition to regular meetings with their mentors and with the PDs, trainees present their work at an annual retreat, providing for ongoing feedback at successive stages of their research training. Success is measured by trainees’ academic productivity during and after their T32 support, as well as by their self-reported learning experience. In summary, through its emphasis on multi-disciplinary integration of laboratory and clinical investigation, this T32 training grant has a long track record of success in providing a rigorous and comprehensive scientific foundation to outstanding physician investigator trainees. Based on its trac...