Project Funding Details

PROJECT SUMMARY Background: We propose to continue a successful three-day virtual workshop on cancer research skills for early-career PIs, which we developed as part of the NCI Awardee Skills Development Consortium (UE5 CA246746). The workshop aims to address worrisome declines in the size and retention of the early-career research workforce by providing training to improve performance and sustainability, grounded in the Job Demands-Resources Model. The need for this training is clearly demonstrated by the overwhelming demand for the workshop (three times as many applications as spots), and we observed significant improvements in targeted skills at 6 months. Based on feedback from all participants and pre-course skills assessments, we plan to enhance the workshop by including additional content in the form of two elective tracks tailored to different needs across research areas. Early-career clinical and supportive oncology PIs have a greater need for additional training in advanced research methods and early-career basic science and translational PIs have a greater need for training in management skills. Adding elective tracks will allow for targeted content based on needs, greater contextualization, and increased opportunities for potential collaborations among participants. Approach and setting: Over the course of five years, we will train 180 early-career PIs with eligible grants in oncology research. The proposed workshop targets three skill areas that we believe will contribute to long- term, productive research careers in oncology: 1) advanced research methods to successfully complete funded studies and grow programs of research in oncology; 2) leadership skills drawn from the Dana-Farber Cancer for early career faculty; and 3) resiliency skills using the framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The clinical and supportive oncology elective track will include recruiting strategies, managing multi-site studies, and building multi-disciplinary teams. The cancer research management elective track will include training on the financial management of labs, communication with teams, and managing challenging personnel. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) will host this three-day workshop on Zoom in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), another Dana- Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DFHCC) institution. Each day of the workshop, participants attend interactive didactic sessions and meet in small discussion-based groups with coaching from R01-funded investigators in oncology. We will work with the Harvard Center for Palliative Care on the promotion, production, and evaluation of workshop. Faculty: We have assembled an outstanding team of experts in oncology research training (established independent researchers, grant reviewers, and journal editors) to continue to serve as workshop faculty. As leaders of highly-productive and well-known programs at DFCI and MGH, the PIs (Drs. Pirl and Greer) possess the requisite experience and leadership skills to organize this workshop.

PROJECT NARRATIVE We propose to continue a successful three-day virtual workshop on research skills for early-career PIs to address observed decreases in the early-career cancer research workforce. The workshop will teach advanced research methods, leadership skills, and professional resiliency, with two elective tracks to meet diverse needs.