The Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC) at Duke University Medical Center invites applications for post-doctoral fellowships for an NCI Cancer Education and Career Development (CECD) Program entitled Integrating Population and Basic Science in Cancer Research.

Program Rationale and Description
The CECD program is designed for talented basic/experimental researchers interested in multi-disciplinary research.  The program aims to connect these researchers with essential knowledge and skills from cancer epidemiology, biostatistics, population genetics, and demography, placing an emphasis on how this knowledge can be integrated in the study of cancer etiology and outcomes leading to improved prevention and control measures through the synergism of bench and population sciences.  The goal of this training program is to increase the pool of cancer researchers educated in the new scientific paradigms that require collaborations with researchers in disparate disciplines.

The fellowships are designed for three years and will include: l) didactic learning, 2) weekly seminars emphasizing connections between cancer biology, epidemiology, and demography; 3) research training and an applied project in population science of cancer involving the integrative approaches; 4) preparing scientific publications and a research grant application with interdisciplinary focus. The program will be based at the DCCC’s Research Program in Cancer Prevention, Detection, and Control, and will engage faculty, mentors, and Advisory Committee members from Duke Population Research Institute (DuPRI), Center for Population Health and Aging and other Duke Departments.

Core Curriculum
This program includes a core curriculum which consists of two parts: 1) courses taught through the Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) and 2) seminars and courses taught by CECD program faculty. 

1)  During the fellowship the candidates will be required to take the following courses or their equivalent (these may be waived if the candidate has already taken this course work).  Alternative courses may be available to those for whom these required courses are waived:
CRP 241 Introduction to Statistical Methods
CRP 245 Statistical Analysis (prerequisite CRP 241)
CRP 261 SAS Programming for Data Management (prerequisite CRP 241)
CRP 263 Longitudinal Data Analysis (prerequisite CRP 245)
For more information on these courses, please go to the Clinical Research Training Program website.

2) The candidates will also be required to take a weekly Population Sciences Research Seminar, which will cover essential topics in interdisciplinary cancer research, and an introductory course in epidemiology, described below, and taught by the CECD program faculty.  Other course offerings such as a course in genetic epidemiology, listed below, will be available for candidates who have successfully completed the required core courses.

CECD Introduction to Epidemiology: The overall purpose of this course is to introduce students to research methods for conducting epidemiologic studies of cancer risk and survival.  Topics to be covered include: 1) measures of disease frequency and association; 2) epidemiologic study designs; and 3) interpretation and evaluation of research studies, including bias, confounding and effect modification.  Students also will be introduced to analytic methods used with epidemiologic data.  Emphasis will be placed on critical reading of the epidemiologic literature, especially examples in cancer etiology and prognosis.  After completing this course, students should have an enhanced understanding of the basic concepts, methods, and nomenclature of epidemiology and the application of these concepts and methods in cancer research.

UPGEN 233 Genetic Epidemiology. This class is a survey of topics in genetic epidemiology and genetic study design

Research Opportunities
All candidates are required to be involved with a research project.  They are also encouraged to develop their own project that utilizes the data and biological samples available from ongoing epidemiologic studies at Duke University.

Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent and be engaged in cancer research.  Candidates should have completed doctorate level training in basic or experimental cancer biology, pharmacology, genetics or related disciplines.

To Apply
The candidate should send a letter describing his/her research interests (three-page maximum) and a copy of his/her Curriculum Vitae by e-mail to Sydnee Crankshaw (crank004@mc.duke.edu). The candidate also should provide three names and contact information of individuals familiar with his/her research and academic potential.

Award Information
The program will award two fellowships in 2010 for three years of support commensurate on experience according to NIH guidelines.

Duke University and Health System is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.