Ronald Chen, Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Here’s an important aspect for the future of cancer care:
The mentorship and training of the next generation of cancer researchers.
Year-over-year, the advancements and achievements we make in cancer care stem from the work we do in research.
So it’s vital that we inspire and train the next generation of cancer researchers who will continue making strides in improving treatments and patient outcomes.
This is exactly what the University of Kansas Cancer Center’s K12 program is for.
It’s a two-year training program where clinicians receive protected time to pursue research related activities, coursework and mentorship within our cancer center. Clinicians include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, medical physicists, and others.
They learn how to become independently funded cancer researchers.
So that, after the program, they come out ready to lead research programs – programs that can make all the difference in future cancer care.
Recently, the K12 program hosted an External Advisory Board meeting. Leaders from similar programs at Vanderbilt University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Miami came for an annual visit.
We learned from each other, and received great advice on how to improve the University of Kansas Cancer Center program. What a fun and fruitful exchange!”
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