# University of Kansas Cancer Center Paul Calabresi K12 Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology

> **NIH NIH K12** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $257,201

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
We propose to develop The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC) Paul Calabresi K12 Career
Development Award for Clinical Oncology (“KUCC K12 Program”), whose primary goal is to train and develop
independent cancer researchers by providing didactic coursework, and research and career mentorship. The
theme of the KUCC K12 Program is in clinical and translational cancer research, with a particular focus on
clinical trials, which leverages the unique strengths of KUCC. KUCC is an ideal institution and provides an
outstanding environment to train clinical and translational researchers because of its strengths in cancer
therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical device development; a robust cancer experimental therapeutics
program; KUCC Shared Resources that facilitate conduct of clinical trials and associated translational
components; and patient-centered research. With no directly competing training program, the KUCC K12
Program will be the flagship cancer-specific training program for junior faculty at the institution and in the
region. The KUCC K12 Program will fill a current unmet need at KUCC by providing a cancer-specific training
program, and also help fill a current geographic void from a relative lack of K12 Programs in the region. The
Program has 22 primary mentors and 24 secondary mentors – with extensive expertise in clinical trials,
translational research, teaching and mentorship. The Program is led by Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, a
distinguished clinician, clinical researcher and clinical trialist, who has extensive experience with
education/mentorship and training program design and administration. Associate Program Director (Dr. Scott
Weir) and Assistant PD (Dr. Lisa Harlan-Williams) bring complementary expertise in translational research,
basic research, and educational program development and leadership. The Internal Advisory Board and
External Advisory Board members provide significant additional experience and expertise in the development,
administration and evaluation of training programs, including K12 programs. We will finalize curriculum
development and recruit high-quality scholars in Year 1 of the award and start training scholars in Year 2. We
propose to recruit one new scholar in Year 2 and two new scholars per year after, and each scholar’s training
will be 2-3 years. Unique aspects of the KUCC K12 Program include team science training, communication
skills development (both scientific communication and communication with a lay/community audience), and
didactic and experiential training on patient-oriented research, including pairing each scholar with a trained
patient advocate. Each scholar will also be mentored to develop a clinical trial, and a K to R Seminar will
mentor each scholar to write a high-quality and submission-ready independent research proposal. There is
tremendous institutional support in the forms of funding the third year of scholar training and additional funding
of $15,000/year for the Program. Up to...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10928763
- **Project number:** 5K12CA279868-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Ronald Chen
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $257,201
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-13 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10928763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10928763, University of Kansas Cancer Center Paul Calabresi K12 Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology (5K12CA279868-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10928763. Licensed CC0.

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