Interdisciplinary Educational Activities

Medical Oncology and Hematology Trainees Lecture Series

 

Lucille Leong, M.D., (Medical Oncology staff member and co-investigator) coordinates this weekly lecture series, a broad offering of multidisciplinary topics in oncology.
 

Medical Oncology New Patient Conference

 

Convenes Thursdays from 8 to 9:30 a.m. to review new patient case histories, diagnoses and treatment recommendations. With emphasis on evaluating cancer cases for candidacy for clinical trial protocols, trainees attend weekly during the initial quarter of first traineeship year. Then trainees attend a minimum of one time per month. All medical oncology faculty, trainees, clinical research associates and visiting community physicians attend the conference regularly.
 

Professional and Teaching Methodology for Professional and Lay Audiences

 
Under the direction of their primary mentors, trainees prepare and present lectures as part of the Cancer Genetics Education Program. This helps trainees develop their presentation and teaching skills, and serves as valuable preparation for formal presentation of their cancer genetics research projects.
 

Nursing Research and Education Lectures and Training Opportunities

 
The Division of Nursing Research and Education (NRE) conducts annual one to six day courses with interdisciplinary faculty, available for all trainees to attend. Courses include:
 
    Basic Oncology
    Care Curriculum for Cancer Nursing
    Comprehensive Chemotherapy
    Issues in Bone Marrow Transplantation
    Legal and Ethical Issues in Oncology
    Interdisciplinary Pain Management

NRE has also piloted conversion of some in-service instruction lectures into electronic media-based modules.
 

Beckman Research Institute Molecular Genetics Lecture Series

 
Trainees attend selected lectures offered through this weekly one-hour seminar, conducted by the Molecular Genetics Program on a variety of basic research-related topics.
 

Breast Cancer Training Program

 
Funded by the Department of Defense under an Institutional Training Grant, the goal of this program is to provide training in the basic and clinical science of cancer. The program includes courses in the basic biology and pathology of breast cancer, prevention and treatment of breast cancer, the ethics of cancer research, breast cancer risk assessment, biostatistics and bioinformatics, and quality of life in breast cancer patients. All courses are available to program trainees. Selected seminars relevant to breast cancer molecular genetics are a required part of the year-one curriculum. Additional coursework from the series, focused on breast cancer biology and research methodology, is part of the doctoral Trainee year two master’s degree requirements.
 

Clinical Investigation Lecture Series

 
This weekly series of lectures is an integral part of the NIH-funded Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program (K12). Selected course content is relevant to the Cancer Genetics Career Development Program as well. The series covers basic elements of clinical trial design and implementation, a thorough coverage of topics related to human protection and IRB procedures, data and safety monitoring, and extensive instruction on the preparation of research proposals for submission to funding agencies.
 

Host and Environmental Determinants of Cancer Susceptibility (HEDCS0 and Cancer Center-Sponsored Seminars)

 
This seminar series is a periodic working group meeting of basic and clinical research program leaders. Members have expertise in mutation detection and recognition of gene interactions predisposing to cancer susceptibility in populations at varying risks of disease. Verification of insights from model systems in human populations is critical to the formulation of new approaches to disease control in the emerging field of molecular therapeutics, including gene therapy and chemoprevention. The seminars focus on understanding the relationships among gene sequence variation, the functional effect of that variation (particularly upon genetic instability), carcinogen targeting and variations in the quality and quantity of gene repair.

Trainees participate in selected seminars that complement offerings of the basic Molecular Biology Program, which is focused predominantly on gene regulation, recombination and modulation. The Molecular Carcinogenesis Program is directed toward mechanisms of DNA adduct formation and DNA repair and the Hematologic Malignancies Program and Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program focuses on molecularly-targeted therapeutic research.
 

Elective Cross-disciplinary Rotations

 
The CGCDP offers a broad sampling of multidisciplinary clinical cancer care electives from which trainees select for focused clinical exposure and enhancing the interdisciplinary aspects of their chosen research project. Options include wet lab in the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Breast Cancer Clinic, Social Services, Radiotherapy, Diagnostic Imaging, Chemotherapy-Infusion Center, Cytogenetics, and Surgical Pathology.

Problem-based Learning Modules in Cancer Genetics: Problem-based Learning (PBL) methods use integrated problem solving to drive the learning process. These methods are particularly suitable for teaching clinical cancer genetics, where the complex nature of the science and the disease, the individual and family concerns, and ethical issues come together in the clinical encounter. PBL modules are developed as a series, each focusing on a specific clinical issue or skill area through which trainees practice detailed, interdisciplinary case analysis to learn and refine the skills necessary for clinical expertise. PBL modules are incorporated into the Clinical Cancer Genetics Course curriculum.

Electronic Media Cancer Genetics Lecture Series: Given the opportunities for interactive and self-directed learning from electronic media-based instruction, core cancer genetics lectures, seminars, and PBL modules will be converted to digital format over the duration of the program for CME-accredited, web-based interactive self-teaching and review.